Shoulder Arthritist
The Basics
Your shoulders are the location of your body's most mobile joints. Shoulder joints take a lot of wear and tear and therefore have the potential to become unstable. Shoulder arthritis is one particularly painful condition that affects the shoulder joints.
Arthritis doesn't only damage your muscles and tendons but also your joints and ligaments. Shoulder arthritis generally causes symptoms such as joint pain and limited range of motion. But there's more than one kind of arthritis of the shoulders.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
One common form of shoulder arthritis is an autoimmune condition called rheumatoid arthritis (RA). You may have pain in both shoulders at once if you have RA. You might also experience:
1. tenderness and warmth in your joints
2. a stiff feeling in your shoulders, especially in the morning
3. rheumatoid nodules, which are bumps under your skin in your shoulders or arms
4. fatigue, weight loss, or fever
RA affects your joint lining and can cause joint swelling as well. It can cause erosion of your shoulder bones and deformity of your shoulder joints over time.
Osteoarthritis
The classic form of arthritis associated with wear and tear is osteoarthritis (OA). This can affect the shoulders as well as other joints like your knees, hands, and hips. The AAOS reports that older people (over age 50) are more likely to develop OA.
This challenging form of arthritis — which is more common than any other type, according to the Mayo Clinic — is characterized by a combination of joint pain, tenderness, and stiffness.
Post-Traumatic Arthritis
You may develop a form of arthritis called post-traumatic arthritis (PA) if you're injured. Since shoulder injuries are commonly due to the shoulder joint's instability, injuries such as shoulder fractures and shoulder dislocations may eventually lead to PA. Sporting injuries and other accidents can also cause this condition.
PA of the shoulders can cause fluid to build up in your shoulder joint, pain, and swelling.
Avascular Necrosis
A condition called avascular necrosis (AVN) can result in shoulder arthritis by destroying the joint tissues in your shoulder. It's caused when blood cannot reach your humerus bone (the long bone of the upper arm). This can cause cells in your shoulder bone to die.
This can happen due to joint dislocations and bone fractures. It can also be a result of taking steroids at high doses and drinking too much alcohol.
AVN is a progressive disease, meaning it worsens over time. It can gradually evolve from an asymptomatic disease to mild pain and eventually it can cause severe pain.
'Rotator Cuff Tear Arthropathy
Your shoulder contains a rotator cuff, which connects the shoulder blade with the top of your arm through a collection of tendons and muscles. Injuries to the rotator cuff are common and can lead to a form of shoulder arthritis called rotator cuff tear arthropathy.
A rip in the tendons of the rotator cuff is generally what causes this condition. Arthritis develops in your shoulder when bones in the shoulder are damaged. Symptoms include intense pain and muscle weakness that can make lifting overhead difficult.