People say it’s bursitis, but you’ve got a sharp pain in the shoulder when you lift the arm. You don’t feel pain in any other circumstance, and you’ve had bursitis before, which is not how it feels. Nobody can describe the pain as you do because you’re the one handling the symptoms, but what if you haven’t found the correct answer? What is causing shoulder pain when you lift the arm?
Shoulder pain is a common complaint among people of all ages and both genders. It can be caused by many different things, including overuse, injury, or arthritis. It is more common in older adults, but young weightlifters also feel the symptom every once in a while. So, everyone won’t have the same cause, and even if we have two people reporting pain when lifting their arms, the diagnosis might not be the same.
Leaving all misconceptions behind, this article will answer the question laid down in the title and give you five conditions that cause pain when lifting the arm. That way, you’ll be more likely to identify the cause and rule out others. Throughout this process, it is essential to find a doctor who will listen to your symptoms and help you figure out the problem and how to treat it. Remember that they are trained to do so and can help you find the correct diagnosis by using additional tests and maneuvers in their physical exam.
What causes shoulder pain when lifting the arm?
When you come to the doctor with shoulder pain, they will probably ask you to move your arms around to evaluate when you feel pain and to what extent. Pain when lifting the arm is a characteristic of shoulder pain that can be found in different ailments. Each one has different causes. That’s why it is important to describe your symptoms as accurately as possible and complete the maneuvers your doctor recommends to reach an accurate diagnosis.
The diagnostic options your doctor will likely want to rule out if you have pain when lifting the arm include bursitis, rotator cuff injuries, shoulder impingement syndrome, adhesive capsulitis, and cervical spinal nerve compressions.
Let’s review the most critical aspects of each:
1. Shoulder impingement syndrome:
This is also a common cause of shoulder pain when you lift your arm. Shoulder impingement syndrome is a type of shoulder injury that occurs when the soft tissues of the shoulder become trapped under the bone of the shoulder.
It usually happens after an injury or overuse of the articulation. The shoulder blade starts rubbing on the upper edge of the shoulder socket, and the soft tissues are trapped in between. That’s why it is called impingement because the tissue is compressed between bones, and the nerve endings perceive the sensation as pain.
