Your shoulders play an important role in your overall mobility, and injuring them may strike a massive blow to the same. Essentially, shoulders are the joints made up of your upper-arm bones (called humerus), shoulder blades (called scapula), and your collarbone (clavicle). Moreover, your shoulders are held together by a network of tendons and muscles, collectively known as the rotator cuff.
Any injury damaging the bones or muscles making up your shoulder will affect the movement of your upper body. Shoulder injuries are common in athletes and people indulging in sports like basketball, football, tennis, hockey, etc. Shoulder injuries cause immense in the affected joint, make it swell, lead to stiffness, and/or cause discomfort.
Shoulder pain may also arise due to health conditions like osteoarthritis. In the case of osteoarthritis, the cartilage in the patient’s shoulder breaks down due to prolonged or excessive wear and tear. Health complications like these may occur without any shoulder injuries.
If you or your loved ones have been struggling with shoulder injuries or complications that affect normal shoulder functioning, make sure you visit a skilled orthopedic doctor in your city. If you live in Gurgaon, you can approach Saqsham Ortho for comprehensive diagnosis and treatment. The facility’s track record has proven Saqsham to offer the best shoulder pain treatment in Gurgaon, irrespective of the injury or complication you experience.
Major Shoulder Injuries And Complications
Here are some of the most common shoulder injuries and complications that affect your shoulder’s mobility:
Shoulder Dislocation
Your shoulder can get dislocated if it is twisted or pulled so hard that the top of your arm gets pulled out from its socket. This leads to immense pain and weakness in the shoulder, making immediate medical care important.
Separation
Separation is a shoulder injury affecting your acromioclavicular (AC) joint. This is the joint where your shoulder blade and collarbone come together. A hard fall or a massive blow to your shoulder may lead the ligaments holding your AC joint together, leading to separation. If your collarbone is pushed out of its place, it will lead to a bump on your shoulder. Separation also needs immediate medical attention and surgery to fix the injury.
Fracture
Fracture is one of the most common shoulder injuries. It leads to the breaking or cracking of one or more shoulder bones, especially after taking a massive hit. Most shoulder fractures lead to the breaking or cracking of the clavicle or the humerus. Fractures cause immense pain, bruising, and swelling, making movement difficult. Especially if your collarbone gets fractured, it may make your shoulder sag, making you unable to lift your arm.
Rotator Cuff Tear
Rotator cuff refers to the group of tendons and muscles holding your shoulder joint together. Overusing these muscles or applying undue pressure on them may lead to rotator cuff tear. This is another common shoulder injury affecting athletes and people indulging in sports. Depending on the severity of the tear, you may require a rotator cuff tear surgery to tackle the issue.
Frozen Shoulder
As the name suggests, frozen shoulder is a complication that limits your shoulder’s movement. It leads to abnormal tissue bands building up on your joint, preventing it from moving freely. Your shoulder will likely get frozen when you prevent its movement for too long, especially after surgery.
Shoulder Impingement
Shoulder impingement is a condition that occurs when the tendons of your rotator cuff are pinched in your shoulder bones. It often leads to pain and swelling. Shoulder impingement often sets off when people lift their arms over their heads a lot.
Bursitis
Bursa refers to a fluid-filled sac cushioning in your shoulder joint. When a bursa gets irritated or swollen by repeating the same motion multiple times, it leads to bursitis. Bursitis can also be caused due to a fall or other shoulder injury that affects your shoulder’s mobility.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that leads to the breaking down the cartilage in your shoulder. It is the most common form of arthritis that leads to pain, stiffness, and discomfort when the shoulder bones rub against each other.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
This is another form of arthritis that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your shoulder joint’s protective lining. Just like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis leads to pain, swelling, stiffness, and discomfort in your shoulders.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis occurs when the tendons making up your shoulder joint get inflamed. The complication may occur over a long period of time or after a sudden blow to your shoulder.
Bone Spurs
Bone spurs, also known as “osteophytes,” are small pieces of bones rubbing up against your rotator cuff and wearing it off. They prevent your shoulder from moving as it should, leading to complications like tendinitis or rotator cuff tear.
Diagnosing And Treating Shoulder Injuries And Complications
Shoulder injuries and complications mentioned above (and many more) often require immediate medical attention to prevent them from worsening. If you approach Saqsham Ortho looking for the best orthopedic doctor in Gurgaon to treat such issues, the healthcare experts at the facility will follow a systematic procedure of diagnosis and treatment.
After initial physical assessment, your doctor may ask you to get one or more of these diagnostic tests done:
- X-ray
- MRI scan
- CT scan
- Electromyography
Depending on the findings of these reports, your doctor will suggest an appropriate treatment procedure for your injury. Today, most orthopedic surgeons using modern equipment recommend shoulder arthroscopy.
Shoulder arthroscopy is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that allows doctors to diagnose and treat multiple shoulder-related issues. It involves making a small incisions into the patient’s shoulder and inserting a miniature camera (arthroscope) to make necessary assessments. If needed, your surgeon may make more small incisions to insert miniature surgical instruments to treat the issue.
The Final Word
These were some of the most common shoulder injuries and complications, along with the common treatment procedure for the same. If you or any of your loved ones have been struggling with shoulder injuries or conditions, make sure you reach out to a trusted orthopedic doctor in your city before the matters get worse.