Pain is one of the symptoms of a disease, an unpleasant sensation with which the body signals the development of a pathological process. When pain appears in the left shoulder joint, there can be various reasons - pain can occur immediately after an injury or some time after it, as a result of the development of an infectious lesion of organs or tissues, or an inflammatory process. The pain can be aching, sharp, constant or intermittent. Depending on the pain syndrome, certain symptoms, changes in blood counts, the disease is diagnosed based on ultrasound, CT, and MRI studies.
In the therapeutic department of the Yusupov Hospital, joint diseases are diagnosed using modern medical equipment. Rheumatologists use modern techniques and innovative drugs to restore joint function. Treatment of diseases of the right and left shoulder joint is carried out with the help of hormonal therapy, physiotherapeutic procedures, massage, drug therapy, and in severe cases, surgical assistance is provided. Rehabilitation of patients is carried out in the rehabilitation center of the hospital.
Causes of pain in the shoulder joint of the left arm
The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body; improper treatment of the joints leads to injury and the development of degenerative processes in the tissues of the joints and tendons. Pain may appear when the left arm is moved to the side, and intensifies when the arm is raised upward against the background of general well-being. Over time, the pain may intensify or, on the contrary, subside; the phase of joint blocking begins. The patient cannot move his arm, raise or move his arm to the side. With cervical osteochondrosis, severe pain in the left arm can occur due to the formation of an intervertebral hernia. The pain takes over the entire length of the arm when turning the head to the side.
Pain in the arm joint when lifting up often occurs due to calcium deposition - calcification of the articular ligaments occurs. The pain intensifies and becomes constant if there are salt deposits in the tendons under the scapula and collarbone. Movement of the left hand becomes difficult due to calcium deposits, and the patient experiences severe pain. This disorder is often detected in people over 35 years of age during an x-ray. A common occurrence is joint pain in athletes. It is most often felt by heavyweight athletes, bodybuilders, gymnasts, and acrobats. A large load on the ligaments, muscles, and joints leads to various injuries: tendon rupture, muscle tears, and joint capsule stress.
Sharp pain in the left shoulder can be a symptom of a heart attack. Very often, shoulder pain bothers people who perform monotonous work on a conveyor belt, on a machine and other workplaces, when monotonous movements throughout the day are performed with the left or right hand. Pain in the shoulder joint of the left arm may be a symptom of the onset of glenohumeral periarthritis. Humeral periarthritis is characterized by severe pain when rotating the arm, when placing the arm behind the back. Over time, the patient has great difficulty raising his arm up. As his condition worsens, he cannot raise his arm up, has difficulty putting on clothes, or combing his hair.
Arthrosis of the left shoulder joint also causes severe pain in the shoulder; movement of the diseased joint is accompanied by a crunching sound. Arthrosis is most often diagnosed after 40 years of age; the disease affects people who experience great physical exertion and engage in heavy physical labor - blacksmiths, builders, loaders and other specialists. Arthrosis also affects athletes - shot putters, weightlifters, tennis players, athletes whose joints are constantly under heavy load and are exposed to impacts.
Inflammation of the left shoulder joint often develops with rheumatoid arthritis, and very rarely with gout. Arthritis first affects the knee joints, joints of the hands, feet, and lastly the inflammatory process affects the shoulder joints. Another distinctive feature of the disease is the limitation of the joint in the morning; during the day, the stiffness disappears, joint movement is restored, and the pain subsides. Arthritis may be accompanied by fever, chills, and deterioration in general condition.
What to do if there is numbness in a limb? When to see a doctor?
Having studied possible problems and their danger, everyone should understand that there are cases when immediate contact with a doctor can save the patient’s life.
On the other hand, slight discomfort may be caused by overwork or incorrect position of the limb.
That is why pay attention to the nature and duration of pain.
A single and short-term incident of numbness requires only a little attention. If you are concerned about frequent pain, consult a neurologist for advice.
Finally, sudden and complete numbness in the hand is a sure sign of a serious problem with the nervous system or heart. In such cases, go to the nearest emergency room or call a doctor.
Pain in bones, muscles, joints and forearm
Pain in the left shoulder joint and forearm often occurs with diseases of the heart, liver, spine, after a stroke, heart attack, with hepatitis, pneumonia, cervical osteochondrosis, tumors of tissues and organs of the chest, and with other diseases. Pain may indicate dysfunction of the bones, pathological changes in the tendons:
- The elbow is pressed to the side, the arm turns outwards with the inner side - severe pain indicates a pathological process in the infraspinal tendon.
- Severe pain in the left shoulder joint and forearm when moving the upper limb to the side or forward indicates damage to the supraspinal tendon.
- The elbow is pressed to the side, the arm is turned with the outer side towards the body. Pain in the shoulder with this position of the arm indicates a pathological process in the subscapularis tendon.
Mechanism of occurrence
Mechanism of occurrence
If pain is detected in the shoulder joints of the arms, treatment must be prescribed taking into account the development mechanism.
Diagnosis and treatment of the disease
The shoulder joint has the most complex anatomical structure among all the joints of the human body. Diagnosis of the disease for pain in the shoulder joint begins with an examination by a doctor, a number of special tests are performed, and the doctor determines external changes in the joint area. Then he prescribes a series of studies:
- Blood chemistry.
- General analysis of urine and blood.
- X-ray of the affected joint.
- MRI – magnetic resonance therapy of the shoulder joint.
- Ultrasound of the joint.
When pain in joints and bones develops, it is important to accurately determine the cause of the disease. The blood is examined for infections, autoimmune diseases, diseases of the digestive tract, and the sugar level is determined. If a malignant tumor is suspected, tumor marker tests are performed. If pain appears after surgery, the doctor prescribes an ultrasound of the shoulder joint and painkillers. Treatment of pain in the left shoulder joint begins with fixing the arm to reduce the load on the joint, tendons, and muscles.
If the pain is caused by muscle spasm, complex treatment is prescribed - muscle relaxants + anti-inflammatory drugs. For joint inflammation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal therapy, various anti-inflammatory ointments, and gels for external use are prescribed. To reduce pain, relieve inflammation, improve joint condition, and restore motor activity, physiotherapy methods, massage, and special physical therapy exercises are used.
Mud compresses, balneotherapy, ozone therapy, laser therapy, and hydropathy are useful for diseases of the shoulder joint. To find out what disease causes pain in the shoulder joint, you can consult the following doctors: traumatologist, orthopedist, rheumatologist, neurologist. In some cases, consultation with an oncologist is required. Consultations with all these specialists can be obtained at the Yusupov Hospital. In the therapeutic clinic of the Yusupov Hospital you can undergo diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the shoulder joint. You can make an appointment with a doctor by phone.
Nature of pain
Always, first of all, pay attention to the nature of the unpleasant sensations. It is they who will tell you, and the attending physician, a number of reasons that could provoke numbness.
For example, short-term numbness of one or more fingers, which does not have pronounced regularity, can be associated with completely harmless reasons.
Among them are muscle compression or prolonged immobility of the limb. Both problems can be solved with light massage and restoration of limb activity.
Short-term but frequent attacks of numbness, as well as constant slight discomfort, are a dangerous symptom.
In this case, the presence of damage to the central nervous system or serious circulatory disorders associated with heart disease cannot be ruled out. This type of pain is often a symptom of the development or exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Who's at risk
If a person’s occupation regularly overloads the shoulder joint, for example, working as a turner or painter, he automatically runs the risk of developing periarthrosis. Athletes performing similar exercises are exposed to the same risk. You should also think about the onset of shoulder arthrosis if:
- you are significantly overweight;
- you do not lead an active lifestyle or, on the contrary, are exposed to heavy physical activity;
- your limbs are immobilized for medical reasons;
- you are already familiar first-hand with the treatment of arthrosis or osteoarthritis of another joint;
- you have crossed a serious age limit.
Does your shoulder hurt? There are simple tests that allow you to independently determine, before visiting a doctor, which muscles, ligaments and joints of a limb or neck provoke pain:
First aid: how to relieve pain?
If pain occurs unexpectedly and you need to take action here and now, use painkillers. In cases where pain appears extremely rarely, and its cause is muscle overload, give them rest, ask for a light massage. Using external ointments to help relieve pain is effective.
If the pain appears frequently and causes severe discomfort, you should go to the hospital.
Also, to avoid pain, it is recommended to perform physical exercises to develop and strengthen the shoulder joint.
Be sure to watch the following video on the topic
How to prevent the development of glenohumeral periarthrosis
The absence of pain does not mean that you can safely experiment with your health. You should take care of him before any alarming symptoms appear.
- During morning exercises, pay special attention to the joints of the upper limbs.
- Make sure your diet is balanced and healthy.
- If you already have extra pounds, work with a nutritionist to find the best approach to solve the problem.
- Avoid hypothermia, which is bad for joints, muscles and synovial fluid viscosity.
- If possible, try not to “lie down” on one side during night sleep, so as not to disrupt blood circulation in the upper extremities.
- Watch your posture. Its curvature leads to osteochondrosis, then to glenohumeral periarthrosis and arthrosis.
- When lifting weights, do not overuse your shoulder muscles.
- Do not ignore diseases of the internal organs, since any inflammation in the body, including chronic form, causes the development of arthrosis.
Humeral periarthrosis is one of those diseases that can still be cured. The main thing is to promptly pay attention to discomfort in the shoulder and sound the alarm before osteophytes form in the joints. If a rheumatologist-orthopedist insists on treating arthrosis of the shoulder joint, do not rush to despair: Noltrex intra-articular injections very quickly and for a long time return the usual joy of movement!
How to avoid pain in the humeroulnar area?
Prevention is the best alternative to treatment. This simple truth also applies to cases where the arm hurts above the elbow. Strong, but regular exercise will help strengthen joints and muscles. Atherosclerosis loves people with excess body weight, so you should eat right and move more. Of course, you need to avoid traumatic situations, not get involved in fights and not look for extreme sports where it is unnecessary. Regular medical examinations and timely diagnosis will help to avoid a situation where the arm hurts between the shoulder and elbow.
