Shoulder Pain

Often described as the most complex joint in the human body, the shoulder is actually made up of four joints: The gleno-humeral joint, acromio-clavicular joint, scapula-thoracic joint and sterno- clavicular joint. The joints of the shoulder are held together by strong ligaments and many different muscles, most notably, the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles which form a claw-like structure on the top of the arm, holding it in the socket of the shoulder and providing stability when you move and exercise. Many shoulder issues are caused, or certainly exacerbated, by dysfunction of the rotator cuff muscles. To complicate matters, an intricate network of nerves and blood vessels supplying the arm and hand runs through the shoulder joint which must be carefully considered during a shoulder assessment. The rotator cuff isn’t the only cause of shoulder pain, the ligaments, nerves, bursa and blood vessels can all become injured. The joints can also become arthritic or painful due to bone stress. It’s vital that the cause of your shoulder pain is diagnosed accurately, as early in the injury process as possible. This will enable us to help you manage your symptoms and return to what you love doing as quickly as possible, without your shoulder pain returning in the future.