Chronic Shoulder Pain - What Does the History Tell Us?
Have you been suffering from chronic shoulder pain? The history behind your pain may hold important clues that will help a trained clinician uncover what the source of your pain may be.
When describing your shoulder joint pain it is important that you don't leave out any details, no matter how small or insignificant you think they are.
To accurately reach a diagnosis every detail counts.
When your problem shoulder is being evaluated you will be asked about your occupational and recreational activities.
The details of these activities can suggest to the clinician what type of problem you may have that is causing your symptoms.
Some examples include collision type sports (football, rugby, etc).
Someone involved in this may be predisposed to instability.
A person that performs overhead activities on a repetitive basis at work may be more prone to rotator cuff symptoms.
You will also be asked about the location of your chronic shoulder pain.
This is necessary because where you feel your symptoms can be correlated to the structure that is causing your pain.
Some examples - pain that is felt in the upper arm is indicative of a rotator cuff problem.
Pain that is felt above the shoulder (towards the neck) may be due to a problem with the acromioclavicular joint or more commonly the neck itself.
If you have pain that radiates below your elbow into your forearm or hand may be due to a problem with the neck.
In cases of prolonged problems with the shoulder you could have pain below the elbow as well.
It is also important to discuss any previous treatments that you have had and things that may aggravate or alleviate your shoulder joint pain.
Sleeping on the painful side which causes increased pain is suggestive of rotator cuff pathology.
Pain experienced when lifting your arm overhead indicates a milder form of a rotator cuff problem or bursitis.
If you have had a previous shoulder surgery you may have developed some degree of a frozen shoulder or an early onset of arthritis.
As you can see when taking a history of chronic shoulder pain every detail counts towards figuring out what the source of the pain might be.
A thorough medical history is important as previous or current illnesses can predispose a patient to certain types of shoulder problems as well.
When describing your shoulder joint pain it is important that you don't leave out any details, no matter how small or insignificant you think they are.
To accurately reach a diagnosis every detail counts.
When your problem shoulder is being evaluated you will be asked about your occupational and recreational activities.
The details of these activities can suggest to the clinician what type of problem you may have that is causing your symptoms.
Some examples include collision type sports (football, rugby, etc).
Someone involved in this may be predisposed to instability.
A person that performs overhead activities on a repetitive basis at work may be more prone to rotator cuff symptoms.
You will also be asked about the location of your chronic shoulder pain.
This is necessary because where you feel your symptoms can be correlated to the structure that is causing your pain.
Some examples - pain that is felt in the upper arm is indicative of a rotator cuff problem.
Pain that is felt above the shoulder (towards the neck) may be due to a problem with the acromioclavicular joint or more commonly the neck itself.
If you have pain that radiates below your elbow into your forearm or hand may be due to a problem with the neck.
In cases of prolonged problems with the shoulder you could have pain below the elbow as well.
It is also important to discuss any previous treatments that you have had and things that may aggravate or alleviate your shoulder joint pain.
Sleeping on the painful side which causes increased pain is suggestive of rotator cuff pathology.
Pain experienced when lifting your arm overhead indicates a milder form of a rotator cuff problem or bursitis.
If you have had a previous shoulder surgery you may have developed some degree of a frozen shoulder or an early onset of arthritis.
As you can see when taking a history of chronic shoulder pain every detail counts towards figuring out what the source of the pain might be.
A thorough medical history is important as previous or current illnesses can predispose a patient to certain types of shoulder problems as well.
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