Shoulder/Arm Specialists

Shoulder/Arm Specialists

Your shoulder moves more than any other joint in your body.

It is involved in many of your daily activities. When your tendons, which provide stability and mobility, become inflamed or tear, they cause pain. If pain from a dislocation injury, a torn rotator cuff, or arthritis limits your arm movement and stops you from doing the things you enjoy, it’s time to take action.

See an orthopedic specialist if you have:

  • Dislocation
  • Pain that keeps you awake
  • Shoulder stiffness
  • Swelling and inflammation in your shoulder
  • Severe pain
  • Redness or swelling
  • Pain that restricts your arm movement
  • Difficulty rotating your arm

Shoulder/Arm Conditions

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Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Common Causes:

The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis involves wear-and-tear damage to your joint’s cartilage — the hard, slick coating on the ends of bones where they form a joint. In rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune system attacks the lining of the joint capsule, a tough membrane that encloses all the joint parts. The disease process can eventually destroy cartilage and bone within the joint.

This is a swelling of a fluid-filled sac called the “subacromial bursa.” It’s in the shoulder, between a bony protrusion called the “acromion” and the rotator cuff. You have similar sacs near other large joints throughout your body. They act as cushions between your bones and your soft tissue. Normally they have a small amount of fluid inside them but sometimes they can swell. We call that “bursitis.”

Common Causes:

Shoulder bursitis is usually caused by constant stress or friction against your bursa. It can happen if you do a lot of repeated arm motions, especially with your arm raised. A lot of lifting and pulling can cause it. This type of bursitis is often a problem for painters and for construction workers.

This is a problem with a tendon in your shoulder. Most often, it’s the “long head of biceps” tendon. It travels from the front of your upper arm to the top of your shoulder socket. With this condition, the tendon becomes painfully inflamed or irritated.

Common Causes:

Biceps tendonitis is usually caused by normal wear and tear. It can be a problem for people who perform repetitive shoulder movements. It can be a problem for people who play tennis or baseball, and for swimmers. Over time, these activities can damage your shoulder’s tendon. It can become red and swollen. The covering around it, called the “tendon sheath,” can thicken.

Colles fracture is a break of one or both of the forearm bones (called the radius and ulna) that occurs just above the wrist. Although this type of injury can be caused by any strong force, Colles is most often associated with trying to break a forward fall.

Common Causes:

Fractures in the shoulder and elbow are primarily caused by some form of trauma, whether it is from a sports related injury or fall.

This is stiffening of your shoulder or elbow. It happens over time, and you may not know what caused it. With this, it can be hard for you to be as active as you like.

Common Causes:

Frozen elbow or shoulder is a problem with the shoulder’s joint capsule. That’s a membrane that surrounds the joint. With frozen shoulder, this membrane thickens and bands of tissue we call “adhesions” develop. Frozen shoulder may be linked to swelling. It can develop after an injury. It can happen after surgery, or after your shoulder is immobilized for a period of time. And, it may be linked to diabetes and to other diseases.

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons in each shoulder. It holds your upper arm bone in your shoulder socket. It keeps your arm stable while allowing it to lift and rotate. Too much stress on the rotator cuff can cause a tear. This can be a painful injury.

Common Causes:

A rotator cuff tear can happen because of a fall with an outstretched arm. It can happen if you try to lift something heavy with a jerking motion. It can also happen over time as part of the normal wear and tear of aging, especially if you have done a lot of repetitive shoulder motions.

This condition, commonly called tennis elbow, is an inflammation of the tendons that connect the muscles of the forearm to the elbow. The pain is primarily felt at the lateral epicondyle, the bony bump on the outer side of the elbow.

Common Causes:

Lateral epicondylitis is caused by specific repetitive motions of the wrist and arm. The stress placed on the forearm by a tennis backstroke is a common culprit. This stress causes tiny tears to develop in one or more extensor tendons. This results in inflammation and pain.

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint. The ball of your upper arm bone fits into a socket in your shoulder blade. If the ball slips out, your shoulder has “dislocated.”

Common Causes:

You can dislocate a shoulder if you fall on your arm, or get hit hard. It can happen during a road accident. You can dislocate a shoulder playing football or volleyball. Skiiers and gymnasts also have a higher risk.

Shoulder/Arm Services

Shoulder Impingement
Shoulder instability
Arthroscopy
Fracture Surgery
Rotator Cuff Repair
Stabilization Surgery

Total Shoulder Replacement
Golfers Elbow
Joint Replacement
Physical and Rehabilitative Therapy
Minimally Invasive Surgery

Providers

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