Shoulder Pain

Radio Interview: Shoulder Pain with Dane Bolton, DO, Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Surgery

Wednesday, January 19 | 7:50 a.m.

The following information is presented is for educational purposes only. Speak to your doctor to decide the appropriate diagnosis and treatment options for you. Treatment options and results vary for every individual and not all patients will return to the same activity level. 

What is one of the of the most common complaints you see in your clinic?

Joint pain in general is frequent in our line of work, but to be more specific shoulder pain is very common.

What are some of the common causes of shoulder pain?

The shoulder is complex and there are a lot of structures that can be a source of pain. One of the more common causes are injuries to the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder to help with shoulder stabilization and movement of the shoulder. The cuff can be damaged or torn acutely such as after injury or can become torn over time through wear and tear.

What symptoms will a patient have when there is a problem with their rotator cuff?

Most commonly: Pain over the outside of the shoulder. Pain with over head activities. Loss of range of motion and pain at night when trying to get to sleep.

How is a rotator cuff tear diagnosed and treated?

A thorough history and physical exam can lead us to suspect a rotator cuff tear but advanced imaging such as an MRI are used to confirm the diagnosis in most cases.

Not all tears get the same treatment but in most cases we treat rotator cuff injuries with a combination of physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications and steroid injections. Using these conservative measures, most patients do well and have a good outcome.

What if a patient doesn’t improve with the treatments you mentioned? Are there other options?

In patients who do not improve with conservative management the next option would be an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. This is a surgery in which a camera and other instruments are used through small incisions around the shoulder to repair the rotator cuff.

What is the typical recovery time after an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair?

Arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs typically have good outcomes and recovery and as such are one of the most commonly performed procedures in our field. The recovery after surgery involves a period of immobilization to let the repair heal followed by progressive range of motion and finally strengthening of the shoulder after healing of the repair. This course usually takes 4-6 months depending on the size of the tear and other factors.

Are there other common causes of shoulder pain?

Shoulder arthritis. Every joint in the body can get arthritis and the shoulder is no different.

What are the symptoms and how is shoulder arthritis diagnosed?

Typically, symptoms include shoulder pain with activity, stiffness of the shoulder, and difficulty sleeping. Patients can sometimes describe a sense of ‘grinding’ in the shoulder with movement as well.

Shoulder arthritis is diagnosed through history and physical exam as well as plain x rays.

What are the treatment options for shoulder arthritis?

First line treatment includes physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications. We also provide steroid injections as a second line therapy.

Unfortunately, arthritis is difficult to treat as it is a progressive condition, and we have no way to restore the bodies natural articular cartilage. The conservative treatments are aimed at decreasing the symptoms to a manageable level. Sometimes these treatments are not effective, especially in advanced arthritic cases.

Is there another option when conservative treatments are no longer effective?

In advanced cases of arthritis not getting relief with conservative management the recommendation is usually a shoulder replacement surgery. This involves removing the worn-out surfaces of the shoulder joint and replacing them with special components that allows more pain free movement of the joint.

What is recovery like after a shoulder replacement?

Recovery after a shoulder replace can vary but typically involves a period of rest followed but progressive motion and strengthening. Typically lasting 4-6 months.

If someone in our community is dealing with shoulder pain, how do they learn more about what is causing their pain and the treatment options that are right for them?

If someone is dealing with any type of joint pain, either from an injury or conditions such as arthritis, they can call Starr Orthopedics & Sports Medicine to make an appointment. Our phone number is 423-746-2941.