Your shoulder joint is a marvel of biological engineering. It can rotate in multiple directions and withstand the forces of throwing and lifting, over and over. But when you throw or lift over and over, you risk breaking down that marvel of engineering.
Shoulder pain is so common that about 62 out of every 1,000 people around the world have shoulder pain either daily, yearly, or throughout their lifetime.
When your shoulder hurts, it can hinder your movements and lower your quality of life. If you rely on your shoulder strength for income because you’re an athlete or a manual laborer, you could be out of a job.
One frequently overlooked source of shoulder pain is bursitis. You may develop shoulder bursitis from overuse due to your work or hobby, or even from an infection.
At the Rheumatology Center of New Jersey, our board-certified rheumatologists and team diagnose and treat shoulder bursitis so you can shrug, throw, and lift again. They may recommend a combination of pain medications, immobilization, and physical therapy.
Do you have shoulder bursitis? Here are some signs that you just might.
Your joints are covered with cartilage, which helps protect the ends of the joint bones so they don’t grate against one another. When cartilage wears down, you have a condition called arthritis.
But cartilage isn’t the only protective tissue in your shoulder joint and other joints. Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that act like shock-absorbing pillows in your joints. The bursae help protect the tendons that keep your shoulder in its socket.
After an injury, overuse, or an infection, your bursae may become inflamed. The inflammation then presses on the tendons and reduces the space tendons and other tissues occupy in the shoulder. The restricted space causes further irritation and inflammation.
Arthritis and other conditions that affect the shoulder can worsen bursitis. You also may have been born with a narrow space between your joint bones, which makes any inflammation and swelling extra irritating.
The main symptom of shoulder bursitis is pain in your shoulder joint. But the type of pain may vary based on your shoulder anatomy and the severity of the injury or inflammation. Bursitis may be the cause of your shoulder pain if you have:
Many of these symptoms can also be the result of other conditions, including tendinitis and shoulder dislocation. If you have shoulder pain that lasts for more than a few days, it’s important to get a diagnosis.
Pain is always a signal that something is off in your body. If you try to soldier through shoulder pain, you could worsen your bursitis pain and cause further damage to your shoulder.
One complication of untreated shoulder bursitis is permanent damage to the bursae. If this happens, you may have difficulty moving your shoulder or not be able to move it at all.
If your bursitis is the result of an infection, rather than overuse, avoiding treatment brings even more dire complications. An untreated infection can spread to other organs in your body and even cause a systemic-wide, life-threatening condition called sepsis.
If your shoulder hurts, and you suspect bursitis, you may first try at-home treatments to see if they restore your comfort and mobility. Steps to try include:
If these methods don’t help after a few days, give us a call for a diagnosis and treatment. If you have shoulder bursitis, we may recommend:
Can’t shrug off the pain anymore? Contact our office nearest you, in Monroe, Flemington, or Somerville, New Jersey, for a shoulder pain and bursitis evaluation and treatment today.
