SHOULDER PAIN

The Shoulder is a complex joint which has to compromise its stability to achieve greater mobility in all directions.  It relies on the coordinated interaction of a number of joints and its stability depends greatly upon its ligaments, joint capsule and muscles which are holding the head of the humerus in its socket.  Often shoulder pain is the result of the excessive demand on these stabilising structures.  Injury can occur from a single trauma but it is often due to repetitive activity or overuse.  Shoulder pain can originate from a number of sources:      

- Referred pain from musculoskeletal structures such as the cervical or thoracic facets joints or muscles trigger points        

- Radicular pain from a root compression in the cervical area     

- Peripheral nerve entrapment

- Referred pain from a visceral structure

- Local cause of pain: Trauma, Overuse, Arthritis, Other (tumor, infection, etc)