What causes shoulder pain?

Several factors and conditions can contribute to shoulder pain. The most prevalent cause is rotator cuff tendinitis.

This is a condition characterized by swollen tendons. Another common cause of shoulder pain is impingement syndrome where the rotator cuff gets caught between the acromium (part of the scapula that covers the ball) and humeral head (the ball portion of the humerus).

Sometimes shoulder pain is the result of injury to another location in your body, usually the neck or biceps. This is known as referred pain. Referred pain generally doesn’t get worse when you move your shoulder.

Other causes of shoulder pain include:

• arthritis
• torn cartilage
• torn rotator cuff
• swollen bursa sacs or tendons
• bone spurs (bony projections that develop along the edges of bones)
• pinched nerve in the neck or shoulder
• broken shoulder or arm bone
• frozen shoulder
• dislocated shoulder
• injury due to overuse or repetitive use
• spinal cord injury
• heart attack