Shoulder pain is not a good thing to be dealing with. They are painful, you can’t do anything and movements are restricted and proper treatment prescribed by an orthopedic surgeon is needed. Here is everything you need to know about shoulder impingement.

Shoulder Impingement

The shoulder is made up of a complex connection of bones and tissues, which go over a cuff and that’s what causes the shoulder to rotate. Shoulder impingement, also known as rotator cuff tendinitis, is the pain which occurs in the rotator cuff. The tendons, which are soft tissues which connect the muscles on the bones and other muscles as well, begin to rub themselves over the other tendon when you try to rotate or move your shoulder.

The rotator cuff is what keeps your shoulder and arm in the shoulder socket, a hollow opening where the shoulder is free to move and rotate in any direction. If the tendons move over each other too much, then the tendons can tear and it can cause a lot of pain in the shoulder and arm area. This is basically shoulder impingement and if the pain occurs over a series of months, then it is known as shoulder impingement syndrome.

The pain usually heightens when you lift your level up to a certain level and the space between the socket and cuff starts to narrow down in space. This can cause a pinching and irritating sensation in your arm and shoulders and this pain can be felt for days and up to several weeks.

Causes Of Shoulder Impingement

Here are some causes of shoulder impingement or rotator cuff tendinitis.

• People who swim a lot and use their arms overhead can feel a lot of pain in their shoulders.
• Young athletes who put a lot of strain on their shoulders are more susceptible to shoulder impingement and rotator cuff injuries.
• You might have trauma on your shoulder which isn’t healed and strenuous exercises can cause the trauma to worsen and injure your rotator cuff and cause a lot of pain.
• You might have been in an accident where your shoulder was deeply affected. If the shoulder was not treated timely, then it can restrict movement in the arm and cause shoulder impingement.
• Any minor or major shoulder injury which was left untreated can lead to a pinching pain and restriction in movement.

Symptoms Of Shoulder Impingement

Here are some symptoms of shoulder impingement.

• You will feel a lot of tenderness in the ball of your shoulder.
• Even if you are resting, you will feel a lot of pain.
• Movement or rotating of the shoulders will cause a lot of pain and it is very excruciating.
• When you do certain actions like trying to swim, or trying to throw a ball, you will feel pain in your arm.
• In worst cases, your arm will start to tingle and feel numb.
• The pain can be transferred from your shoulders to your upper and lower arms.
• When the numbness occurs, you will also have difficulty in moving the rest of your hand.

Treatment For Shoulder Impingement

Here are some treatment options for shoulder impingement.

• A great thing about shoulder impingement is that if you catch it early on, then there will be non-surgical treatments. Most impingements are fixed by non-surgical treatments alone.
• Try to give your shoulder as much rest as possible.
• Don’t put too much strain on your healing shoulder for about 3 to 4 weeks.
• Try physical therapy and light movements to get your shoulder going.
• Pain medications help a lot too in temporary and semi-permanent pain relief.
• Surgical treatment includes arthroscopy, where a small pen-like instrument is pushed into your shoulder and the position of the tendon and bone is fixed. It is not as invasive, but the healing time is up to a month. It is the least invasive shoulder surgical procedure.

Conclusion

There you have it! Shoulder impingement is a very common shoulder pain and it can be fixed with the right care and treatment from shoulder surgeons Woodbridge in no time, but it’s important that you take this seriously.