Shoulder arthrosis, also known as omarthrosis in the technical terminology, is a progressive disease of the shoulder joint. It leads to a deterioration in the quality of the cartilage and to wear and tear. The cartilage can also be completely worn away, so that bone on bone is moved, which is very painful and enormously restricts the mobility of the joint, even stiffening it.
In shoulder arthrosis, acute joint inflammation occurs repeatedly, while the joint is painfully swollen and warmed. Various treatment methods are available to prevent the symptoms from worsening. Shoulder arthrosis is rare compared to arthrosis of the spine or knee joint.
Causes
The causes of shoulder arthrosis can be many and varied. If a single exact cause cannot be identified, it is referred to as primary shoulder arthrosis. However, if the cause can be traced back to a trigger, it is referred to as secondary arthrosis.
Causes can be overstrain, for example. Long-term overloading leads to a disproportion between the load and the load-bearing capacity of the cartilage. This can be caused, for example, by injuries to the muscular supporting apparatus of the shoulder, such as the rotator cuff, or to the ligaments and capsule of the shoulder joint during instability or after luxation.
Systemic diseases such as rheumatism can also contribute to the development of arthrosis through frequent inflammation of the joint. Inflammations caused by infections, for example by bacteria, can cause severe long-term damage to the cartilage. Injuries to the shoulder joint, such as fractures or surgical interventions, can promote the development of arthrosis. There are many other possible causes.
Symptoms
Symptoms of shoulder arthrosis are manifested by movement restrictions of the shoulder joint. Especially the return of the arm behind the body (internal rotation), but also the lifting of the arm above the head is often restricted. The movement of the joint can be painful, but the arthrosis initially manifests itself as starting pain, i.e. at the beginning of a movement, and then pain also occurs during the movement.
In the case of advanced arthrosis, pain at rest also occurs. If so-called activated arthrosis occurs, when, for example, cartilage abrasion products move freely in the joint and cause acute inflammation there, the joint may appear reddened and warmed. The surrounding tissue is painfully swollen and mobility is very limited.
Reflexively, surrounding muscles tense up and pain can occur in the entire shoulder neck area. Since patients with shoulder arthrosis often tend to avoid using protective mechanisms, overstrain symptoms can occur in surrounding structures. In the worst case, arthrosis can lead to complete stiffness of the shoulder, i.e. inability to move.