Definition – What is a capsule tear in the shoulder?
Like all movable joints, the shoulder is surrounded by a joint capsule. This consists of connective tissue with an inner and an outer layer. The capsule surrounds and protects the joint on the one hand and promotes the mobility of the arm in the shoulder by producing synovial fluid on the other.
A sports or traffic accident, for example, can lead to a rupture of the capsule, which in turn reduces the stability and mobility of the shoulder. Depending on the extent of the injury, healing can be achieved through rest and specific exercises. In more severe cases, however, surgery is necessary.
Often a capsule tear in the shoulder heals well, but the risk of renewed injury is increased. In some cases, long-term damage remains, which leads to a restriction of the function of the shoulder joint. Do you suffer from a torn capsule and would like to be informed about any important information? It is therefore recommended that you start by reading general information about capsule rupture and the structure and function of a joint capsule. You can find details on this under:
- Joint capsule – what is behind it
- What is a capsule rupture?
Accompanying symptoms of a capsule rupture in the shoulder
The most significant accompanying symptom that occurs when a capsule rupture occurs in the shoulder is a strong, usually stabbing pain in the shoulder area. In addition, normal mobility of the affected arm is usually no longer possible. In most cases, a relieving posture is adopted, since every movement in the shoulder increases the pain.
Within a few minutes to hours, another accompanying symptom of a torn capsule in the shoulder is usually a swelling of the region. Injury to the capsule causes an inflammatory reaction, which manifests itself, among other things, by an increased influx of tissue water, thus leading to swelling. In addition, synovial fluid can leak out and be deposited in the tissue.
If a blood vessel on the shoulder is also injured in the rupture of the capsule, this can also lead to bleeding. As an accompanying symptom, this manifests itself by the formation of a bruise or bruise. If the arm is also dislocated in the injury that led to the rupture of the capsule in the shoulder, the accompanying symptom is a malposition.
In most cases, the upper arm is displaced forward in relation to the trunk. In addition, various other complaints can occur if additional nerve tracts have been injured. The result can be either numbness or sensations like tingling in the arm or hand.
- Torn ligament of the shoulder or
- Torn tendon of the shoulder
In the case of a capsule rupture in the shoulder, pain is usually the main complaint. Usually an acute trigger such as an injury during sports or a fall on the arm leads to the capsule tear. Immediately after the triggering event, there is typically severe pain, usually described as stabbing or bright.
After a few minutes, the character of the pain often changes. The pain then tends to change into a throbbing, dull form. In addition, the pain of a ruptured capsule in the shoulder is usually dependent on movement.
The pain is best tolerated if the arm is protected in a neutral position. If there is active or passive movement in the shoulder joint, this can trigger a new pain stimulus. Pain triggered in this way is also usually of a stabbing character.
Pain in the shoulder can be caused by numerous events. You can find out the causes of pain in the following text: Pain in the shoulder blade – These are the causesA capsule tear in the shoulder usually causes swelling in the joint area within a few minutes to hours. There are two ways in which such an injury results in water retention, which is responsible for the swelling.
On the one hand, the rupture of the capsule leads to an escape of synovial fluid into the surrounding tissue. Secondly, the body reacts to the damage with an inflammatory reaction. This leads to increased blood flow and dilation of the small blood vessels.
This also leads to an increased deposition of fluid in the tissue.If the torn capsule in the shoulder heals, the water is also reabsorbed and the swelling goes down. A capsule tear and bursitis are two of the most common diseases or injuries in the shoulder area that have a common cause but can also occur independently of each other. The bursa is a connective tissue sac filled with fluid that acts as a kind of shock absorber between heavily loaded muscles and vision in the large joints.
Various causes, such as overloading, can lead to the development of bursitis, which can cause severe pain and limit the movement of the arm in the shoulder joint. In some cases, bursitis develops as a result of a rupture of a capsule in the shoulder. While the rupture of the capsule usually leads to sudden discomfort due to a direct trigger, bursitis often develops rather slowly and without a specifically identifiable trigger.
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