Causes of Shoulder Pain:
I. Shoulder-Related Factors:
1. This condition predominantly affects middle-aged and elderly individuals over 40. Degeneration and changes in soft tissues, leading to reduced tolerance for external forces, are fundamental factors;
2. Chronic stress from prolonged overuse or poor posture serves as the primary triggering factor;
3. Prolonged immobilization of the shoulder after upper limb trauma can cause secondary atrophy and adhesions in the surrounding tissues.
4. Improper treatment following acute shoulder contusions or strains.
II. External Factors:
Shoulder referred pain from cervical spondylosis, cardiac, pulmonary, or biliary tract diseases. Persistent muscle spasm and ischemia in the shoulder due to chronic underlying conditions can form inflammatory foci, progressing to true frozen shoulder.
Treatment Methods for Shoulder Pain
Using either hand, bring the index, middle, and ring fingers together to form a curved hook shape. Then vigorously scratch the painful area of your shoulder from bottom to top, similar to tickling—but with the key difference of keeping the three fingers together and applying force.Remember to trim your nails short beforehand—you'll be responsible if you draw blood.
Primary Symptoms:
1. Shoulder Pain: Initially intermittent, often chronic in onset. Pain gradually intensifies, manifesting as throbbing or stabbing sensations. Weather changes, exertion, or accidental impacts frequently exacerbate discomfort. A key characteristic is worsening pain at night compared to daytime.
2. Limited shoulder joint mobility: Movement in all directions becomes restricted. As the condition progresses, even simple actions like combing hair, dressing, washing face, or placing hands on hips may become difficult.In severe cases, elbow function may also be affected: the hand cannot reach the same-side shoulder during elbow flexion, particularly when the arm is abducted. 3. Cold Sensitivity: The affected shoulder is sensitive to cold; even in summer, exposure to drafts is avoided. 4. Tenderness: Most patients exhibit distinct tender points around the shoulder joint.
5. Muscle spasm and atrophy: Early-stage spasm may occur in shoulder muscles like the deltoid and supraspinatus. Late-stage disuse atrophy develops, leading to typical symptoms such as difficulty elevating the acromion process and impaired backward bending.At this stage, pain symptoms may paradoxically diminish.Shoulder joint movement is most restricted in abduction, external rotation, and extension. In some cases, adduction and internal rotation may also be limited, though forward flexion is rarely affected.
7. In older patients or those with prolonged disease duration, plain X-rays may reveal shoulder osteoporosis or calcification signs in the supraspinatus tendon and subacromial bursa.