Shoulder pain
Shoulder pain can happen for many reasons – from frozen shoulder to arthritis, sports injuries to muscle strain. Our specialists are experienced in identifying the cause and delivering effective, personalised treatment.
What is shoulder pain?
If you feel pain in or around your shoulder or shoulder blades, it’s given the general name of ‘shoulder pain’ until you can find out exactly what’s causing it. Your shoulder pain may be short-term or long-term, depending on the cause.
Your shoulder is a complicated body part, where 2 joints work to connect the top of your arm bones, collarbone and shoulder blades. It’s involved in many movements of your arms and body – for example, throwing a stick for your dog, lifting a shopping bag, raising your arms to clap or cheer, or doing push-ups. It also has a wide range of motion, which is why wear and tear and injuries are so common.
In many cases, shoulder pain will resolve by itself within 2 weeks. If it carries on any longer, it’s important to see a specialist for investigations and treatment.
At Welbeck, our consultants diagnose and treat patients with knee pain in our state-of-the-art Orthopaedic centre.
Paediatrics
We offer appointments to paediatric patients aged 12 to 18. For full information on our paediatrics service, please visit our main Paediatrics page.
More information
Shoulder pain can vary from a constant dull ache to a sudden, intense pain. Depending on the cause of your shoulder pain, as well as pain, you may also notice:
some redness, heat or swelling in the area
pain of different kinds, such as a niggling ache, stabbing, throbbing, aching, or a sharp, intense pain
pain that comes and goes with certain movements – for example, you may feel no pain when your arm is by your side, but moving your arm backwards or raising it above your head can cause a sharp pinching pain
feelings of stiffness
feeling weak or not able to carry or push with your arm
giving way if you try and use it
popping, grinding or crunching noises
There are many different causes of shoulder pain. You may have more than one at the same time.
sprains and strains
a torn ligament or tendon
a dislocated shoulder joint
a bone fracture, such as a broken collarbone
swimmer’s shoulder (shoulder impingement)
inflamed tendons (subacromial shoulder pain)
bursitis
frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
cartilage damage
osteoarthritis
rheumatoid arthritis
polymyalgia rheumatica
avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis, when bone tissue dies)
bursitis
infection
Diagnosing your shoulder pain usually involves an initial consultation where our pain specialist will:
1. Take a history to get a full understanding of your pain and how it affects you – for example how severe it is, where it is, what makes it worse or better, and how it affects daily life. They’ll want as much detail from you as possible because this can help narrow down the cause.
2. Do a physical examination of the painful area.
3. Review any relevant scans and other previous investigations.
4. Talk through their initial findings and what will happen next.
They may also recommend:
further imaging tests such as MRI, CT scan or X-ray
nerve studies such as electromyography
a minimally invasive procedure called an arthroscopy, where a thin video camera with a light on it is passed into the relevant area of your knee via a small incision. This helps the consultant see the damage, which can often be repaired at the same time
If your shoulder pain is caused by health conditions, there may be risks you can’t avoid. However, there are lifestyle tips that can help reduce your risk of shoulder pain. These include:
keeping an eye on your posture – stand up straight with your shoulders gently back, and avoid slouching
stopping smoking if you smoke, as it increases your risk of arthritis
managing your weight if you are obese – extra weight puts more pressure on your joints
stretching and warming up before activity or sports, then stretching and cooling down afterwards
wearing the right protective gear for sports
stopping what you’re doing if it’s causing pain
Complications are most likely to come if you don’t get your shoulder pain diagnosed and treated. These might include worsening of the pain, or making damage worse.
Your consultant will talk you through any potential complications of treatments you may need to manage the pain, such as medications or surgery.
Once your shoulder pain has been diagnosed, and your consultant is clear about the possible cause or causes, they’ll recommend the most appropriate next steps and will arrange treatment to ensure you make the best possible recovery.
Treatment options for shoulder pain include:
medications such as pain relief and anti-inflammatories
physiotherapy to help relieve and prevent the pain from coming back
injections to relieve pain and inflammation
a range of surgical options
Our consultants have access to multidisciplinary teams who can be brought in to support your personalised treatment plan.
At Welbeck, our orthopaedic consultants are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.
With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.
All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.
Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.
Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.
Get in touch today to book an appointment.
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Frequently asked questions
It’s important to see a specialist if your pain is very severe, isn’t improving, has lasted more than a couple of weeks, has significant swelling, bruising or deformity, and/or if you’re unable to bear weight in your hands or push.
Severe shoulder pain that’s usually the result of an injury may also cause:
sudden pain that feels sharp and stabbing
reduced arm movement
pain that interferes with your sleep
We aim to see you as quickly as possible, especially if you’re in a lot of pain. In the meantime, you can try:
avoiding reaching at shoulder height or above, reaching behind you, or holding things at arm’s length
taking painkillers such as ibuprofen
sleeping on your back with a pillow supporting the arm, or sleeping on the good shoulder with your other arm supported by a pillow in front of you
applying ice packs for 15 minutes at a time, 3 to 4 times a day if there’s swelling
using heat patches or water bottles if your pain eases with warmth
It’s common to have neck pain along with shoulder pain. The way your shoulder links to your neck muscles and collar bone means pain in one area can influence how your muscles work or tense up in the other. That means the pain can spread from one to the other. It also means that if you have a fall or injury that affects one, it might also affect the other, as they are close together.
You may get shoulder pain because of an issue in your neck – even if you don’t feel the pain in your neck itself. The shoulder pain might feel more like pins and needles, sharp, hot or burning pain.
Our consultants have access to colleagues across specialties, so if you’re diagnosed with a health condition outside of their specialism, they can refer you onward for the care you need. We can also arrange access to physiotherapy where required.