Shoulder

What are common shoulder injuries?

The shoulder is made up of several joints that work together to give you a wide range of motion in your arms, such as reaching the arms over your head and behind your back, lifting objects, and throwing a ball.

Trauma to the shoulder from a fall or a tackle on the field can cause damage to the shoulder bones or soft tissues. You can also experience shoulder dysfunction from degenerative conditions that break down the structures of the joint.

Common conditions that affect the shoulder include:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that causes the wearing away of the protective cartilage in the shoulder joint. This allows the bones to rub together, creating friction, inflammation, and chronic pain.

Rotator cuff injuries

Rotator cuff injuries occur from overuse or direct trauma to the shoulder. The rotator cuff is a group of tendons and muscles that keep the upper arm bone secure inside the socket of the shoulder joint. The tissues also make it possible to rotate your arm at the shoulder.

Summit Orthopaedics offers personalized care for adults and children with shoulder injuries and degenerative conditions like arthritis. The team focuses on noninvasive treatments to heal the shoulder joint and provides minimally invasive surgery when needed.

What are the symptoms of shoulder injuries?

Shoulder injuries can cause a variety of symptoms that range in severity from mild to severe. You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation at Summit Orthopaedics if you or your child injures a shoulder and experiences:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Weakness
• Reduced range of motion
• Popping or clicking noises with movement

Closed fractures can cause visible bone deformities beneath the skin. In an open fracture, the broken bone breaks through the skin and bleeds. Open fractures require immediate medical attention to prevent infection and other complications.

What treatments are available for shoulder injuries?

Summit Orthopedics offers nonsurgical treatments to treat soft tissue tears and early-stage arthritis. Your provider may suggest:

• Physical therapy
• Ice or heat therapy
• Oral medications
• Corticosteroid injections

The team uses arthroscopic surgery that requires only small incisions to repair fractures and torn soft tissues.

For severe shoulder trauma or arthritis, shoulder replacement surgery is available to remove part or all of your shoulder joint and replace it with an artificial device that works like your natural joint.

Call Summit Orthopaedics today to schedule an evaluation for shoulder injuries or book an appointment online.