Right shoulder pain

Pain in the right shoulder can bother a person from time to time and very often there are many reasons for its occurrence. The main and dominant cause of pain is not always easy to determine on your own, so patients can characterize it as painful sensations of unknown etiology.

The nature of the pain and its location can indicate its root cause and become a signal of the onset of some painful processes in the human body.

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Causes of pain in the right shoulder

Only a doctor can tell you the main reason for the painful sensations, but initially you should take into account the main points that cause pain in the right shoulder:

• Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendons that surround the shoulder joint. Most often, the cause of tendinitis is uneven and intense physical activity. Most often, this is a disease of athletes and people whose activities are associated with physical labor. Pain in the right shoulder with tendinitis is often dull, felt during palpation (probing) or during active movements of the arm with an inflamed tendon, while similar passive movements are painless.
• Bursitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the shoulder joint bag. Bursitis is caused by injuries and microdamages, heavy physical work, heavy loads during sports, infections. It is expressed by pain during palpation, swelling and increased temperature of the affected area. During this disease, painful sensations are often causeless and begin to increase with hand movements.
• Sudden, intense and prolonged pain in the right shoulder, which appears and increases when raising the arm or abducting it by 90 degrees, indicates a suspicion of calcium salt deposits in the tendon passing under the collarbone.
• Shoulder-scapular periarthritis is a condition of complete immobilization of the joint, when active and passive movements become impossible due to acute and intense pain. This disease mostly affects people over 50 years of age. Unfortunately, the exact cause of the disease has not yet been established, but often the catalyst for its development is diseases of the cervical spine, a long-term state of immobilization of the arm.
• An injury or other lesion of the cervical spine can also cause pain in the right shoulder. It manifests itself as numbness and tingling in the hand, which increases when turning the head.
• Diseases of the lungs, liver, and tumors in the chest organs can also become one of the factors causing painful sensations.

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How does pain in the right shoulder manifest itself?

The symptoms of pain in the right shoulder are somewhat different from the symptoms of general diseases of the joints and musculoskeletal system, so it is worth paying special attention to such pains, as they may indicate pathologies of other organs and systems. The main symptoms of pain in the right shoulder include:

• Dull pain in the right shoulder, which is especially felt upon palpation.
• Painful sensations with both active and passive arm movements.
• Swelling, redness and increased temperature of the joint.
• Increased and constant pain when raising and moving the arm to the side.
• Complete immobilization of the joint due to pain.
• Numbness and tingling in the hand and entire arm.
• Spinal diseases can also cause pain in the right shoulder.
• Sharp painful sensations that appear immediately after sudden movements of the hand or lifting weights.

Pain radiating to the right shoulder

Radiating pain in the right shoulder mostly appears as a result of its irradiation (spread) from other diseased organs in the human body. The main ones on the list are diseases of the spine (especially the thoracic and cervical spine). This kind of pain is localized in the back and accordingly radiates to the shoulder blade. No less popular cause of radiating pain is inflammation of the digestive organs: pancreas, liver, gallbladder and its ducts, which occurs due to muscle spasm and blockage of the bile ducts. Renal colic also tends to radiate pain. In this case, the pain in the right shoulder is aching, in the shoulder blade area - pressing, the patient's health deteriorates sharply, blood pressure drops, the skin turns pale. When unbearable radiating pain in the right shoulder occurs, then taking anesthetics will be emergency help, but it is worth remembering that when the underlying cause is serious, then the use of anesthetics threatens to worsen the condition. In this situation, you should immediately call a doctor.

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Aching pain in the right shoulder

When a patient complains of aching pain in the right shoulder, then a thorough medical examination should be carried out, since this symptom can indicate many obvious and hidden potential health problems. These problems, as often happens, are related not to dysfunction of the joint itself, but to dysfunction of other organs and systems of the body.

Aching pain in the right shoulder mostly increases and intensifies gradually. If you feel muscle stiffness and limited movement, then most likely the cause will be diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Also, pain can be a signal of such a potentially dangerous disease as acute cholecystitis, so if a person has or has had liver and gallbladder diseases in his medical history, then a doctor's consultation should be immediate, so as not to aggravate the patient's condition.

If the aching pain in the right shoulder is related to the joint itself, then we may be talking about either inflammation of the tendons and muscles due to physical overload, or an even worse condition - developing scapulohumeral periarthritis, so a visit to the doctor in this case cannot be postponed.

Sharp pain in the right shoulder

A sharp pain in the right shoulder usually occurs suddenly, for example, when a person changes the position of the arm and joint, or when lifting something heavy. In most cases, the painful sensations subside immediately after the person takes a passive position of the arm or releases the weight, in this case we are talking about diseases of the musculoskeletal system. This can be arthritis, arthrosis, periarthritis, tendinitis (inflammation of the tendon), myositis (inflammation of the muscles). Another reason for the occurrence of sharp pain in the right shoulder can be an injury: dislocation or severe bruise. As a rule, diseases of the internal organs can rarely cause sharp and radiating pain in the right shoulder. The only exception can be acute diseases, when the painful sensations are so strong that they can spread throughout the body.

Sharp pain in the right shoulder, both temporary and long-term, is very difficult to tolerate, so emergency care will include taking an anesthetic, applying a cold compress (in case of injury) and further hospitalization if necessary.

Sharp pain in the right shoulder

Acute pain in the right shoulder often occurs as a result of an exacerbation of a chronic disease of the joint itself, spine, internal organ or the whole body. This may be an exacerbation of the previously listed diseases of the musculoskeletal system and an exacerbation of diseases of the internal organs (cholecystitis, renal colic). Initially, the pain in the right shoulder is aching, pulling, but if it is not counteracted, it gradually increases and develops into an acute form. First aid in this situation is the same as for the sharp pain described earlier.

Dull pain in the right shoulder

A dull pain in the right shoulder indicates an inflammatory process in the tendon, joint, joint muscle, or directly about the disease of the spine itself. The cause may be the accumulation of calcium salts, osteochondrosis, osteoporosis, pinched nerve or intervertebral disc, tendonitis, myositis, as well as tendon rupture. In most cases, this type of pain is tolerable for a person and therefore the patient does not always seek help from a specialist, but tries to treat himself, using improvised folk remedies or pharmacy drugs. With such self-medication, the patient can further worsen his health and over time, the disease often develops into another, more complex form, when it is already necessary to apply drastic treatment measures. Therefore, you should not ignore painful sensations, no matter what they are - bearable or unbearable.

Aching pain in the right shoulder

A nagging pain in the right shoulder is very often accompanied by a dull ache and in most cases can appear due to several reasons:

• pinched nerve in the cervical or thoracic spine.
• muscle or tendon strain.
• tendon rupture.
• trauma or previous fractures of the arm or shoulder.
• salt deposits.

Nagging pain in the right shoulder always brings great discomfort to a person and if the cause of such pain is not serious, then it can be relieved by lightly massaging the painful area using a local anesthetic anti-inflammatory ointment and gel, and also try not to strain the joint, providing it with rest and temporary immobilization.

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Diagnosis of pain in the right shoulder

There are a huge number of reasons for pain in the right shoulder, so correct diagnosis of the disease is very important, since the correct diagnosis can help choose the right treatment strategy, as well as speed up the process of treatment and recovery.

The diagnosis is based on the analysis of the patient's complaints, the conclusion of the X-ray examination, and, if necessary, laboratory tests are also carried out. To compile an accurate and detailed anamnesis, it is necessary to find out the following from the patient:

• When did the pain in my right shoulder first appear, what was its nature?
• how often and when the pain bothers you.
• whether there were or are there any chronic diseases of the body in the medical history.
• what illnesses have you had recently?
• How the patient copes with pain in the right shoulder, what medications he takes.

First of all, you need to seek help from a therapist, and only then, in the course of establishing the cause of the disease, contact other specialists in order to prescribe a more accurate and effective treatment.

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Treatment for Right Shoulder Pain

When the exact cause of pain in the right shoulder is known, then correctly selected treatment and, accordingly, strict adherence to the treatment regimen will speed up the healing process from joint pain much faster. If the cause of the disease is hidden not in the joint itself, but in some other organ, then first of all it is necessary to treat the source of the disease, but, as is known, there can be many sources. If the cause of pain is directly in the shoulder itself (joint, tendon or muscle), then, as with any disease, a comprehensive approach to treatment is necessary here. Let's consider several main points:

• Diet and nutrition. If the cause of pain in the right shoulder is a disease of the musculoskeletal system, then proper and rational nutrition will help the body cope with the disease. The most common consequence of poor nutrition is the deposition of uric acid salts in the joint. In this situation, it is necessary to limit the consumption of foods that contribute to the deposition of salts, such as flour, meat, canned foods, and sweets. In order to normalize the salt balance, it is useful to eat fresh vegetables and fruits, dairy products. It is also important to consume calcium and vitamin D3, as well as drugs that affect mineral metabolism in bones, such as Osteogenon, Osteohel C (1 tablet 3 times a day).
• Drug treatment. Regarding drugs, first of all, for joint diseases, arthritis, arthrosis, bursitis, you need to take painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, these are "Ibuprofen", "Diclofenac", "Ketoprofen"; chondroprotectors "Alflutop", "Glucosamine"; combination drugs "Ambene", "Apizartron". But it is worth remembering that the intake of these drugs should be prescribed only by a doctor, since the dosage of these drugs is established individually for each patient.
• Physiotherapy for pain in the right shoulder is currently a very effective and highly efficient method of treatment. There are many methods of physiotherapy, all of them aimed at eliminating a certain symptom:
  • pain reduction (UV irradiation).
  • joint restoration (magnetic therapy).
  • reducing inflammation (infrared laser therapy, low-intensity UHF therapy, high-intensity SHF therapy).
  • improving blood supply (ultrasound, hydrogen sulphide and radon baths).

Additionally, you can do therapeutic exercise and undergo a course of massage, if there are no contraindications. Common contraindications for the use of physiotherapy include diseases of the central nervous system, seizures, tuberculosis, blood diseases, and oncological diseases.

• Surgical treatment is used in extremely advanced cases or when there is no positive effect from drug treatment. Modern medicine has reached a high level of development, so today most surgical interventions in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system have a positive outcome and allow the patient to return to a full life.
• Treatment with folk methods at home can be used as an additional method or as a supportive therapy, for the reason that folk medicine is not able to cope with acute conditions of such diseases.

Prevention of pain in the right shoulder

In order to prevent the occurrence of pain in the right shoulder, it is necessary to pay attention to many factors. For example:

• Nutrition. It should contain a minimum of meat, sweets and other protein-containing products.
• Physical activity should be optimal and not excessive. Physical therapy, yoga and other activities that do not require great physical activity will be useful.
• A general body massage will improve blood flow and help relax muscles.
• Sleeping on a hard surface helps prevent diseases of the musculoskeletal system and improves posture.

Based on all this, it is worth taking into account the fact that any pain in the right shoulder should not be ignored, it is very important to consult a doctor in a timely manner and take the necessary treatment and prevention measures so that the disease does not develop into a severe stage. The patient, in turn, must approach the treatment with all seriousness and responsibility, only then can a positive result from the treatment and favorable prognosis be expected.