If you swim, lift weights, or play tennis, you might have felt ongoing pain in your shoulder that can make daily activities harder. Shoulder impingement syndrome is the result of repeated activities and can make small movements like reaching up behind the back or overhead painful.

At Campbell Clinic, our orthopedic doctors can help you with shoulder injuries, guiding you from symptoms to treatment options.

How it Occurs

Shoulder impingement syndrome is a common shoulder injury. It takes place in the muscles that are between bones in the shoulder region.

The shoulder is unlike any other area of the body. Muscles and tendons wrap around the bone, while in other places, muscles surround the bones.

Symptoms

People with shoulder impingement syndrome can experience weakness in their shoulder muscles. Some people experience  pain when they extend their arms above their heads or when they reach behind their backs. If an injury lasts a long time, it can cause the muscle to tear completely, which people call a rotator cuff tear.

The rotator cuff is important for shoulder range of motion. It allows you to lift your arm overhead and move the arm forward and backwards. A torn rotator cuff can greatly impact daily life, so an orthopedic shoulder specialist should treat it right away.

Diagnosis

X-rays will likely be needed for this type of injury. X-rays can help find arthritis and show changes in the bone where the rotator cuff connects.

Treatment

Medicines like aspirin or ibuprofen are a common part of treatment plans for impingement syndrome. People generally take them for around six to eight weeks, which is the time it takes to treat the injury. Stretching daily in a warm shower can also help treat shoulder joint pain.

If pain persists, your doctor may prescribe orthopedic care that includes physical therapy or consider an anti-inflammatory medication like a cortisone-like injection.

This article adapts information from the Cleveland Clinic. You can access the full article here.

If you have any questions about shoulder impingement syndrome, please contact Campbell Clinic to meet with a physician.