Conditions that can have shoulder pain and stiffness as a symptom
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A frozen shoulder affects a patient’s range of motion. Physiotherapy can help.
PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
- Frozen shoulder causes pain and stiffness due to inflammation and thickening of the shoulder joint capsule, affecting both active and passive movement.
- Shoulder impingement involves compression of rotator cuff tendons, leading to pain and limited active movement.
- Serious symptoms like fever, swelling, or deformity may indicate infection, dislocation, or fracture and require urgent medical attention and diagnostic tests.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Are your shoulders stiff and painful? Is it uncomfortable to stretch your arm out?
Doctors say there could be a few reasons for this and it is important to seek medical help for diagnosis.
1. Frozen shoulder
Orthopaedic surgeon Eileen Tay says that shoulder stiffness or pain on moving the shoulder could be because of a frozen shoulder. This common condition results from inflammation and thickening of the shoulder joint capsule.
Frozen shoulder can develop for no obvious reason, adds the senior consultant from private practice The Orthopaedic Practice and Surgery.
Pain management and physiotherapy can help patients regain their range of motion and carry out daily activities.
A frozen shoulder starts out with mild pain that progresses to stiffness and difficulty with both active range of movement (under the patient’s own strength) and passive range of movement (when an external party manipulates the shoulder and arm).
2. Shoulder impingement
Consultant Luke Peter from Ng Teng Fong General Hospital’s division of shoulder and elbow surgery says that shoulder impingement can also cause pain and affect a patient’s range of motion.
The term refers to a spectrum of disease caused by compression of the rotator cuff tendons around the shoulder joint. This can lead to rotator cuff tears.
He says that active range of movement is affected by shoulder impingement and rotator cuff injuries. People may find it difficult to stretch or raise the arm. However, passive range of movement is preserved when the physician examines and moves the arm and shoulder.
3. Osteoarthritis
The degenerative joint disease osteoarthritis can cause pain and loss of function in the shoulder, says Peter. Diagnostic tests such as X-rays will be required by the doctor.
4. Dislocation, infection and others
Orthopaedic surgeon Lester Tan Teong Jin from private practice Oxford Orthopaedics says it is important to seek medical help when shoulder pain and stiffness presents with other symptoms.
Watch out for fever, breathlessness, warmth and swelling, says the senior consultant.
Tay says that fever, chills and swelling around the shoulder indicate a joint infection.
“An injury with acute onset of pain and shoulder stiffness or shoulder joint deformity may indicate a shoulder fracture or dislocation,” she says.
“These conditions can be easily ruled out with proper history taking, clinical examination and X-rays.”
