If you are feeling any kind of pain in your neck, upper back, or shoulders, it could all be related and connected to a shoulder injury. Proper diagnosis by a physician is an important step towards treatment. Get shoulder pain relief through effective treatments at our clinic in Katy, TX.
Anatomy of the shoulder
The shoulder has three primary components.
- Clavicle – Commonly known as the collar bone
- Scapula -Commonly referred to as your shoulder blade
- Humerus – Bones in your upper arm that connect to your shoulder
Why the shoulder is a common site for injury
The shoulder is a ball and socket joint, and is one of the most mobile joints in the entire body. The joint connects the scapula at the head of the humerus, but those two bones rarely come into contact. As a result, the shoulder joint is able to achieve a large range of motion.
The reason that the shoulder is one of the most commonly injured regions of the body is a two-fold issue. The wide range of mobility in your shouldercan increase the risk of pushing the shoulder outside of its range of motion. That can cause sprains and tears in the soft tissue of the shoulder. A second reason that the shoulder is prone to injury is because it is one of the most frequently used joints in the body. It is difficult to identify a time that your shoulder is not engaged in performing some sort of task or activity.
Symptoms of Pain Associated with the Shoulder
The most common symptoms associated with shoulder pain:
- Limited mobility or range of motion
- Feeling of warmth around the joint
- Sensitive to touch
- Sensitivity to temperature
- Swelling of the shoulder
- Redness around the shoulder area
- Tenderness of the shoulder joint
- Aching around the shoulder joint
- General feeling of weakness in one or both of your shoulders
What Is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow is a common phrase used to describe Epicondylitis. This is a medical condition that develops as a result of repetitive and/or strenuous movements at a specific joint in the body. The elbow is a joint that is vulnerable to Epicondylitis.
The elbow is created by three bones that conjoin together to create the joint. – Humerus – bone that constitutes your upper arm
- Radiu -, one of the two bones that makes up the forearm
- Uina – second of two bones that makes up the forearm
The radius and uinameet together at the end of the humerus. They form two rounded bumps at a joint named epicondyle.
Once joined together, these bones bond together with muscle tissue to complete the elbow joint. A synovial joint is where a thin layer of cartilage coats the ends of multiple bones meeting together.
The meeting point bones and cartilage is filled with synovial fluid. This is a lubricant that provides the solid foundation of stability the bones and tissues need to function as a joint. The synovial fluid also protects the joint from stresses and injury.
Symptoms of tennis elbow usually develop over a long period of time. The condition is common in athletes and other professions that overuse the elbow for a specific movement. Injury or muscle strain may cause symptoms to suddenly develop.
Common signs of Epicondylitis:
- Regular discomfort especially associated with a familiar, repetitive activity
- Pain or discomfort alongside the elbow (“tennis elbow”) or inside the joint (“golfer’s elbow”)
- General joint stiffness, especially in the morning
- Tingling and/or numbness from the elbow to the tips of the fingers
- Episodes of pain when completing simple activities; like lifting, making a fist, or shaking hands