Shoulder pain

Shoulder disorders are fairly common – about three in 10 adults are affected by them at some time in their life. There are various reasons why you might be experiencing shoulder pain, which commonly include:

Frozen shoulder – a painful condition that limits normal movement and can sometimes stop you from moving your shoulder altogether.

Rotator cuff disorders – the rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint and keep it stable.

Osteoarthritis building up in the shoulder joint.

Neck or muscle strain that radiates to the shoulder. Poor posture. Frozen shoulder and rotator cuff disorders are most common in middle-aged and older people. Shoulder instability disorders tend to affect younger people.

When to see your GP

You should see your doctor if your pain is the result of an injury, is particularly bad or there’s no sign of improvement after two weeks.

Shoulder pain can be a long-term problem, however, up to half of people still have symptoms after 18 months, particularly if they suffer with frozen shoulder.

Treating shoulder pain

There are things you can do yourself such as using painkillers and applying ice packs to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.

Avoid activities that may aggravate your symptoms.

Depending on the cause of your shoulder pain you may need further treatment. This includes: physiotherapy, injections of corticosteroids or in some more severe cases, surgery.

In most cases shoulder disorders improve over time if treatment advice is followed.