The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body and most often hurts from overloaded tendons, less often from a stiff joint capsule or an irritated nerve.
The place and nature of the pain point to the cause. Pain on the side when you lift your arm usually comes from the tendons. A shoulder that gets stiffer and stiffer and won’t lift even with someone’s help suggests a frozen shoulder. Severe pain followed by weakness in the arm points to a nerve.
Which page to read
- Not sure where the pain comes from: start with shoulder pain.
- It hurts when you lift your arm and when you lie on the shoulder: shoulder tendonitis and bursitis.
- The shoulder has been stiffening for months and the arm won’t lift: frozen shoulder.
- After severe pain, the arm is weak or numb: brachial plexitis.
When to start with a consultation
If the pain lasts more than 2 weeks, start with a consultation: Kaloyan will check the shoulder and the neck. After a fall, with a deformed shoulder, or with pain in the left shoulder and shortness of breath, see a doctor first.