Shoulder joint inflammation (periarthritis humeroscapularis) is a degenerative disease of the shoulder or shoulder girdle. The typical sign is mainly a limitation of mobility in the shoulder area as well as severe pain. The causes are varied, but can be treated well by the doctor.
What is shoulder joint inflammation?
A person’s shoulder joint is a more or less complicated musculoskeletal system. Here, the shoulder joint is the central joint that controls the movement of the arm attached to it. Shoulder joint inflammation is a serious disorder of the musculoskeletal system. Shoulder joint inflammation can have a wide variety of causes. The harmonious interaction of bones, joints, tendons and muscles is considerably impaired by shoulder joint inflammation. Along with strong to severe pain, shoulder joint inflammation leads to massive restrictions in movement. In the case of shoulder joint inflammation, the person will take the arm and shoulder into a protective posture. This happens more instinctively than consciously. Because of the gentle posture, due to the shoulder joint inflammation, it is not uncommon for the tendons and muscle cords to shorten.
Causes
The causes of shoulder joint inflammation can be very complex. For example, one cause of shoulder joint inflammation may be a chronic disease. Rheumatic conditions in particular often promote shoulder joint inflammation. With increasing age, calcifications can also be deposited in the joints. Due to the friction of calcium plates in the shoulder joint, shoulder joint inflammation can quickly develop. Long before the severe pain, the affected person feels a restriction of mobility. Any inflammation in a person’s body, including shoulder joint inflammation, can be detected by laboratory tests, even in the early stages. A significant increase in leukocytes, i.e. white blood cells, indicates that something is wrong in the body. Also a long-term one-sided load of the shoulder joint, can promote a shoulder joint inflammation. But mostly it is the work of people that is responsible for the development of joint inflammation. Because, for example, work in cold storage, without protective thermal clothing, but also wrong movements, can lead to the very painful shoulder joint inflammation.
Symptoms, complaints and signs
An existing shoulder joint inflammation provides a strong movement impairment, so that affected persons are strongly limited in the entire everyday life. In the first stage of this disease, symptoms occur only at night. Affected persons complain of severe pain at night, so that sleep is considerably disturbed. In the second stage, the pain subsides significantly. However, movement is severely impaired. Affected persons often adopt a protective posture, so that the entire musculature weakens and weakens. In the final phase, the pain in the shoulder recedes. Symptoms subside significantly, allowing affected individuals to move the shoulder freely again without pain. Anyone who completely forgoes medical treatment for inflammation in the shoulder is taking a very big risk. In such a case, the symptoms will worsen greatly, so that even in total retirement there will be pain. However, if affected persons decide to take medication and seek medical treatment, the symptoms that occur can be treated very well and effectively. By taking medication, you can relieve pain so that there is not such a severe restriction of movement.
Complications
If shoulder joint inflammation takes a chronic course, various complications can occur. Then osteoarthritis may develop in the shoulder joint, which requires prolonged treatment. Those affected by such joint inflammation usually also experience severe shoulder pain and can only move the affected arm to a limited extent. As a result, those affected adopt a protective posture and perform compensatory movements – both of which can cause new pain and promote wear and tear of the joints. Sometimes swelling also occurs in the shoulder area, which can become inflamed and subsequently cause accompanying symptoms such as fever and skin irritations.In the case of inflammation that persists over a longer period of time, psychological secondary complaints cannot be ruled out. Depending on the chosen therapy method, the treatment of shoulder joint inflammation can be associated with surgical discomfort, side effects and drug interactions or bruising and muscle soreness. Serious complications are only to be expected if the affected person has an undiagnosed previous illness or the prescribed medications cause interactions. For example, if a cardiovascular disease is present, the unchecked administration of cortisone preparations can cause significant cardiac arrhythmias. At times, pain may recur after treatment.
When should you see a doctor?
Shoulder joint inflammation should always be treated by a doctor. In this process, self-healing cannot occur, so the affected person is always dependent on medical treatment by a doctor. The life expectancy of the affected person is usually not limited by the shoulder joint inflammation. A doctor should be consulted for shoulder joint inflammation if the patient suffers from severe restrictions in movement. In particular, the shoulders can no longer be moved properly. Likewise, severe pain in the shoulders indicates shoulder joint inflammation in most cases, and the pain can also spread to neighboring regions of the body. The affected person’s sleep is also often disturbed by the pain. Furthermore, weakened musculature of the patient can also indicate shoulder joint inflammation and should be examined by a doctor, especially after an accident or injury. In the first instance, an orthopedist or a general practitioner can be consulted. Further treatment then depends on the severity of the symptoms.
Treatment and therapy
Treatment of shoulder joint inflammation requires the immediate help of a specialist. The specialists in whose practices joint inflammation is treated can be orthopedists and surgeons. Basically, shoulder joint inflammation must be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. In the early stages of shoulder joint inflammation, this may be an oral medication that can treat and eliminate both the pain and the inflammation. In contrast, if the shoulder joint inflammation is very advanced, oral medication is usually not enough. In this case, medications containing cortisone are administered by injection into the shoulder joint. Since such treatment is extremely painful, the specialist will first immobilize the inflamed shoulder joint with an anesthetic. In most cases, this is lidocaine or a similar anesthetic. Injections are then administered into the anesthetized shoulder joint to combat the inflammation on site. Subsequently, causative conditions such as calcium deposits are also treated with medication. Laser therapy can also help heal shoulder joint inflammation.
Prevention
The question of whether shoulder joint inflammation can be prevented is not so easy to answer. Certainly, prevention can only lie in the avoidance of certain forced postures. But therein also lies the great opportunity to counteract the occurrence of shoulder joint inflammation. Anyone whose job requires them to work in a forced posture that can put strain on the shoulder joint absolutely needs compensation. This compensation must lie in movements that relieve the shoulder as well as the shoulder joint. This does not have to be anything major. It can be light shoulder gymnastics during a break at work and appropriate sports activities during leisure time. Of course, patients who notice disorders in the shoulder, which usually appear before the shoulder joint inflammation, should also see the doctor immediately.
Aftercare
In most cases of shoulder joint inflammation, very few and also very limited measures of direct aftercare are available to the patient. For this reason, the affected person should ideally see a doctor relatively early in order to prevent the occurrence of other complaints and complications. The earlier a doctor is consulted, the better the further course of the disease usually is. The treatment itself depends very much on the exact severity of the symptoms and also on their nature, with most sufferers relying on taking various medications to alleviate the symptoms.Regular checks and examinations by a doctor are also very important in order to detect and treat other damage at an early stage. Likewise, the person affected by shoulder joint inflammation should rest as much as possible and not exert his or her body unnecessarily. Physical activities should be refrained from, with some of those affected depending on the help of other people due to the disease. The disease itself does not usually reduce the patient’s life expectancy and, in most cases, can be cured relatively well.
Here’s what you can do yourself
In the presence of inflammatory diseases, affected individuals can always do something good for themselves and their health by supporting their body’s own defense system. For this, a balanced and healthy diet is recommended. With sufficient exercise and optimal sleep hygiene, the organism is strengthened in everyday life. The consumption of harmful substances, on the other hand, is to be refrained from. This includes alcohol, drugs, non-prescribed medication or nicotine. In addition, stressors are to be reduced and should be eliminated as soon as possible. At the first physical discomfort, the posture adopted should be checked and optimized if possible. To avoid pain or complications, reduce stress on the shoulder. The performance of physical work or sports activities should be adjusted according to the possible load capacity of the body. Carrying heavy objects or excessive movement of the shoulder should be avoided. It is often advisable to restructure daily routines and enlist the help of others to perform everyday tasks. Since in many cases a protective posture is automatically adopted by the affected person due to existing irregularities, care should be taken to ensure that regular compensatory movements take place. To prevent muscle pain or tension, heat treatments, physiotherapeutic exercises and regular changes in the posture adopted are recommended.
