The shoulder is a complex joint. In fact, it’s the most mobile joint in the body, with a wide variety of muscles contributing to its strength and positioning. So why is it so susceptible to pain and discomfort?

If anyone is positioned to explain, it’s Carlos E Cobiella, a Consultant and Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Surgeon working at The Shoulder Practice

Cobiella tells us that the shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, and it’s this that – while allowing for excellent function – makes it prone to injury and painful conditions. So when something goes wrong, free movement and mobility can become extremely difficult and in some cases impossible. It can really hamper a person’s quality of life, causing huge amounts of pain and discomfort. 

“The shoulder joint is based on a ball-and-socket mechanism, with a small and shallow socket and quite a big ball on it,” explains Cobiella. “It is inherently unstable and in order to improve the stability, we use the rotator cuff muscles. This is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint and keep the ball in a stable fulcrum.”

If you are experiencing shoulder pain, Cobiella says that, more often than not, this means the rotator cuff tendons have become irritated, inflamed, or damaged somehow, which can be extremely painful and can make everyday tasks all the more difficult to complete. 

“Patients come to me for a number of reasons – they have sometimes damaged their shoulder playing sport – especially contact sports like rugby – or they have fallen off their bike and damaged their shoulder that way,” he says. 

“I also see people who have damaged their shoulder from repetitive exercises, particularly overhead. This causes overuse injuries that manifest mostly on rotation i.e. impingement. 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON FIT & WELL…