Call us at 281-633-8600. In this article, Shoulder Specialist Dr. J. Michael Bennett discusses possible causes of shoulder pain and what to do if shoulder pain does not improve. Doctor Bennett is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and a Fellowship Trained Sports Medicine Physician serving patients from all over Metro Houston from his clinics in Sugar Land and in Houston, near the Houston Galleria.
Unfortunately, some of us like to abide by the old adage of “no pain, no gain.” This mentality may benefit us with certain facets of our life but it can also cause you more long
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term pain and discomfort when it comes to your shoulder. Shoulder pain is a very common problem that many active people continue to struggle with. Oftentimes pain can be attributed to overworking or heavy lifting creating a rotator cuff tendonitis or an inflammation (bursitis) within the shoulder. Usually a tendonitis or bursitis will get better and improve over a period of time with rest and anti-inflammatories, however, sometimes the pain does not resolve and begins to interfere with our daily activities.
The biggest question you should ask yourself is when do you need to be evaluated. Here’s a list to consider.
These are all red flags that you need to be evaluated by a sports medicine specialist. The key is to not ignore your symptoms and listen to your body when it is telling you that something is wrong. The worst mistake you can make is to ignore your symptoms while the underlying injury continues to get worse.
The majority of shoulder pain can be easily treated with rehabilitation and anti-inflammatory medicines with an occasional steroid injection to address the inflammation. There is a minority of patients that do not respond to this initial treatment and at that time further diagnostic tests like an MRI are necessary to evaluate the tendon and rule out a rotator cuff tear.
The rotator cuff consists of four muscle-tendon units that surround the ball and socket mechanism of the shoulder joint. The rotator cuff provides mobility and strength to the shoulder. Injury to the rotator cuff can occur with direct trauma or chronic use of the shoulder.
MRI in conjunction with a good physical exam and history can help differentiate if there is a tendinitis, a partial tear, a small full thickness tear involving one tendon, or a massive tear involving all 4 tendons.
Studies have shown that there are better long-term results associated with addressing a rotator cuff tear when there is just one tendon involved as opposed to all four tendons involved. Once a tendon is torn it tends to retract and atrophy making a later repair very difficult.
Early arthroscopic repair of a rotator cuff tendon tear is a minimally invasive surgical option that can help relieve pain and provide successful long-term function and mobility. The longer that a tear is ignored, the higher likelihood that it will progress and become a massive tear eventually leading to arthritis.
Once a massive tear is diagnosed as irreparable then a shoulder replacement is the only option for long-term relief and function aside from injections. Therefore, it is safe to say that it is always better to go with the least invasive option with early intervention, for the best results.
If you are suffering from shoulder pain please feel free to contact us at 281-633-8600 for an appointment at our Sugar Land office or 713-234-3152 for an appointment at our Houston office, near the Houston Galleria. Don’t wait, if your shoulder pain does not improve get your shoulder evaluated by a shoulder specialist!
