Have you ever been working out at the gym, pushing a heavy weight and heard a popping sound in your shoulder? Or what about skiing down the slopes, and landing shoulder first in the snow at the bottom. Or maybe just having a friendly game of tennis, when all of a sudden there's a sharp pain in your shoulder. These are all signs of the same thing; a shoulder injury. Whether you want to call it a rotator cuff tear or tendonitis shoulder, it's really all the same. A tear, strain or inflammation in the rotator cuff muscles and tendons.

Frozen shoulder is a slightly different condition affecting the shoulder joint where the surrounding capsule becomes inflamed and result in shoulder pain.

The shoulder joint is a truly remarkable creation. But it is also one of the most fragile parts of the body. It's quite a complex formation of bones, muscles and tendons and provides a great range of motion for your arm. The only downside to this extensive range of motion is a lack of stability, which can make the shoulder joint vulnerable to injury and cause shoulder pain.

Lets have a quick look at the shoulder joint in a little more detail. The shoulder is made up of three bones, and the tendons of four muscles. (Remember, tendons attach muscle to bone.) The bones are called the "Scapula," the "Humerus" and the "Clavicle." Or, in layman's terms, the shoulder blade, the upper arm bone and the collarbone, respectively.

The four muscles which make up the shoulder joint are called, the "Supraspinatus," the "Infraspinatus," the "Teres Minor" and the "Subscapularis." It is the tendons of these muscles, which connect to the bones, that help to move your arm.

The supraspinatus, the infraspinatus and the teres minor are the muscles which are viewed from the rear, or posterior. The subscapularis is not visible because it can only be viewed from the front, or anterior. Anyway, enough of the technical stuff.

CausesThere are two major causes of most shoulder pain and injuries. The first being degeneration, or general wear and tear. Unfortunately, the shoulder is a tendinous area that receives very little blood supply. The tendons of the rotator cuff muscles receive very little oxygen and nutrients from blood supply, and as a result are especially vulnerable to degeneration with aging. This is why shoulder problems in the elderly are common. This lack of blood supply is also the reason why a shoulder injury can take quite a lot of time to heal.

The second cause of most shoulder injuries is due to excessive force, or simply putting too much strain on the tendons of the shoulder muscles. This usually occurs when you try to lift something that is too heavy or when a force is applied to the arm while it's in an unusual or awkward position.

SymptomsThere are two common symptoms of a shoulder pain, injury and weakness. Pain is not always felt when a shoulder injury occurs, however most people who do feel pain, report that it's a very vague pain which can be hard to pinpoint.

Weakness, on the other hand, seems to be the most reliable symptom of a shoulder pain. Common complaints include an inability to raise your arm above your head or to extend your arm directly to the side or in front. In most cases, the larger the tear or damage to the tendons, the harder it is to move your arm and the injured area.

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