All about shoulder pain

Symptoms of shoulder pain

Shoulder pain can present itself in many forms, depending on the cause and the structure affected. The most common symptoms include:

Localized pain in the front, side or back of the shoulder
Limitation of movement (difficulty lifting arm, combing hair, fastening bra, etc.)
Nocturnal pain that interferes with sleep
Feeling of weakness in the arm or loss of strength
Clicking or feeling of instability in the joint
Radiating pain to the neck, scapula, or arm
Inflammation or joint stiffness

These symptoms can appear suddenly (due to injury or overexertion) or progressively, and in many cases worsen over time if not treated correctly.

Causes of shoulder pain

The shoulder is a very mobile but also vulnerable joint. Pain may be due to muscular, tendon, joint or even neurological causes. The most frequent causes of shoulder pain are:

Rotator cuff tendinopathy (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor)
Partial or total rotator cuff tendon rupture of the rotator cuff
Subacromial bursitis (inflammation of the bursa that cushions movement)
Subacromial impingement syndrome
Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
Glenohumeral instability or recurrent dislocations
Shoulder or acromioclavicular osteoarthritis
Biceps tendinitis
Fractures or traumatic injuries
Referred pain from the cervical spine, heart or diaphragm

An accurate diagnosis is key to choosing the most appropriate treatment and avoiding complications.

Types of shoulder pain

Shoulder Arthrosis

Shoulder osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joint that joins the humeral head and the glenoid cavity of the shoulder blade. It occurs “through wear and tear” whereby the degenerative disease triggers a loss of the cartilage covering the articular surfaces, so that the joint space progressively disappears.

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Rotator Cuff Syndrome

The rotator cuff is formed by the tendons of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor muscles in their insertion in the different bones that are part of the shoulder joint. Their correct functioning allows performing the wide and complex range of movements that the shoulder is capable of executing. Inadequate postures, trauma or the mere passage of time can lead to its wear and tear, producing the condition commonly known as rotator cuff syndrome. This condition can range from minor alterations in the form of tendinitis to partial or total tendon rupture. Depending on the degree of deterioration, pain and functional impairment will vary.

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Shoulder bursitis

One of the most common pathologies at the level of the shoulder joint is the dreaded bursitis.

Before delving a little deeper into the injury, we can define the bursa as a structure, which is a kind of small sacs filled with synovial fluid placed strategically between different structures (one fixed and the other mobile or both mobile) in order to avoid excessive friction between them.

The suffix -itis is added when the bursa becomes inflamed by some cause external to it, which generates an increase of fluid formation within it and the increase in volume of the bursa. This growth of the structure can compromise the proper functioning of the sliding of adjacent structures and excessive pressure on the bursa causing pain by receptors in the walls of the bursa.

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Frozen shoulder

Frozen shoulder, also known and named as adhesive capsulitis or retractile capsulitis, is a pathology that affects the shoulder joint.

It could be defined as “freezing of the joint capsule “. Its main characteristic is pain and limitation of movement.

For more information click here.

Treatments for shoulder pain

At MIVI Salud we apply a multidisciplinary and personalized approach to effectively treat shoulder pain. We combine medical expertise with the most advanced therapies in physiotherapy and interventional pain management. The most common treatments include:

Conservative treatment

Relative rest and modification of activities
Anti-inflammatory or analgesic medication
Postural education and ergonomics
Application of cold or heat according to the stage of the lesion

Specialized physiotherapy

Manual therapy to improve mobility and reduce stiffness
Therapeutic exerciserotator cuff strengthening and movement reeducation
Dry needling for myofascial trigger points
Electrotherapy, tecartherapy or laser to reduce inflammation and speed recovery
Stretching and functional retraining adapted to the patient

3. Interventional pain treatments

Ultrasound-guided infiltrations (anti-inflammatories or hyaluronic acid)
Nerve blocks to relieve chronic pain
Radiofrequency in cases of persistent or refractory pain
Minimally invasive treatments to avoid surgery when possible

Recover your mobility with MIVI Salud

At MIVI Salud we understand that shoulder pain can limit you in your daily life. That is why we offer you a specialized diagnosis, a treatment adapted to you and a comprehensive support so that you can get back to moving without pain and with confidence..

🩺 Do you have a sore shoulder? Don’t wait any longer.

Book your medical or physical therapy assessment and start your recovery today.

Here begins your life without pain

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yaroslava kotsan

19 hours ago

Muy contenta con la atención recibida. Son grandes profesionales y el trato es excelente. El personal de recepción es muy amable y siempre te hace sentir bienvenido. ¡Totalmente recomendable!

Inma Robles

1 day ago

Julia belmonte cruz

3 days ago

Estoy altamente satisfecha con el trato recibido, revolución de mi problema al 100%. Amabilidad, profesionalidad y eficiencia .. qué mas se puede pedir. Muy recomendable. Muchas gracias por vuestra ayuda 😊

david R.W

5 days ago

Hola buenos día quería compartir mi experiencia después de dos semanas de hospitales con infiltraciones y hincharme a medicación para tumbar a un caballo menos mal que tomé la decisión de visitar ala unida del dolor 1 que todo felicitar Dr Jorge orduña Valls un profesional y con mucha paciencia me lo explicó todo muy bien y supo en todo momento donde estaba el problema y felicitar a todo su equipo médico y Camila y rocio que en todo momento me ayudaron a toda la gestión y se preocuparon por todo muchas gracias

Josep Boixader Roca

6 days ago

Estem molt contents, personal molt agradable i molt eficients.

Araceli Nieto

6 days ago

Todo perfecto

Tombus Akdeniz

7 days ago

Javier Carmona

1 week ago

Esto si es una unidad del dolor con un gran médico al frente y un gran equipo atención diez y lo más importante escucha al paciente, empatía,amable, recomendable 100% seguimos

Mireia Carreño Albero

1 week ago

Vull agrair molt l’atenció rebuda al Centre MIVI i, especialment, al Dr. Francisco Duca, que m’ha tractat l’esquena. Em van fer una infiltració i una rizòlisi, i en tot moment em vaig sentir molt ben atesa, escoltada i acompanyada. Tant el doctor com tot l’equip han estat molt pendents de mi, amb un tracte proper, humà i molt amable, cosa que s’agraeix molt quan passes per un procés així. El Dr. Duca m’ha transmès confiança i professionalitat, explicant-me les coses amb claredat i cuidant tots els detalls. Recomano molt el Centre MIVI pel tracte rebut, per l’amabilitat de tot l’equip i per la qualitat de l’atenció.

Y T

1 week ago

Quiero expresar mi más sincero agradecimiento al equipo de la Unidad del Dolor MIVI Tenerife (Quirón). Son grandes profesionales y, sobre todo, personas cercanas, atentas y muy humanas. Después de dos años con un dolor insoportable y de recorrer muchísimos médicos sin encontrar una solución, llegué a ellos. Este doctor ha sido el primero que después de este tiempo de dolor ,realmente me escuchó y encontró el tratamiento que me devolvió la calidad de vida. Además, las enfermeras son increíbles. Siempre están pendientes de ti, te llaman para saber cómo te encuentras y gestionan las citas con una eficacia excepcional. Gracias de corazón por vuestra profesionalidad, cercanía y dedicación. Os recomendaré siempre. Yuraima Gutiérrez