Introduction
Shoulder arthrosis (omarthrosis) is one of the wear-related shoulder diseases. Shoulder arthrosis is characterized by cartilage consumption in the main shoulder joint. In contrast to knee arthrosis and hip arthrosis, it occurs much less frequently. The reason for this is that the shoulder is not a weight-bearing joint. Its cartilaginous joint surfaces are not subjected to the same loads as the knee joint or hip joint.
What are the symptoms of shoulder arthrosis?
The symptoms of shoulder arthrosis usually begin with the onset of shoulder pain after prolonged stress on the arm. The fatigue pain in the shoulder joint continues to increase and may also radiate to the rest of the arm. In addition, shoulder arthrosis can cause increased pain at the beginning of movement.
This is due to the fact that not enough synovial fluid has yet been formed in the joint space, i.e. between the bones that form the joint. The synovial fluid is responsible for ensuring that the bones gently glide past each other during movement and do not rub against each other and thus wear out. It also supplies bones and cartilage with nutrients that are important for maintenance and reconstruction.
At the beginning of a movement, the formation of synovial fluid is activated. Therefore, there is little synovial fluid between the bones at the beginning. If these are already damaged by osteoarthritis, rubbing against each other is very painful and can continue throughout the entire duration of the movement.
This is why it is called permanent pain. During the course of the disease, the pain becomes increasingly prolonged and can also occur at rest and at night. In addition, a pronounced arthrosis is usually accompanied by a restriction of movement.
The cause of arthrosis is wear and tear and not inflammation. Nevertheless, an existing shoulder arthrosis can become inflamed. This is referred to as activated arthrosis.
Here, in addition to the pain, symptoms such as redness, swelling and warming of the shoulder joint occur. Pain is the most common symptom of shoulder arthrosis. The pain is most pronounced at the beginning and end of a load.
They can occur not only in the shoulder itself, but also in the lower parts of the arm. The pain is particularly severe during movements such as spreading the arm or rotations, as the bones are pressed particularly hard against each other in these cases. Restricted movement is a symptom of advanced shoulder arthrosis.
In the joint, the adjacent bone surfaces are surrounded by a protective layer of cartilage. This layer of cartilage is destroyed more and more during arthrosis, which increases the pressure on the bone. This causes the bone below the cartilage to thicken in order to remain stable. However, the increased bone formation leads to stiffening and restricted movement. These are particularly evident in rotations in the shoulder joint and when the arm is spread outwards.
