Your shoulder is a unique joint that offers more flexibility than most joints in your body, but this added range of motion can also contribute to injuries. Shoulder injuries are somewhat common, especially in manual laborers or athletes who perform strenuous arm actions, but that doesn’t mean you should just try to ignore a new pain that has developed in your shoulder. Not only can problems take longer to heal if you don’t actively treat them, but there are a number of long-term risks associated with ignoring a shoulder issue. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at some of the problems associated with untreated shoulder conditions.
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Shoulder Pain
Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong, and when discomfort develops in the shoulder region, you should take these signs seriously. Without targeted treatment, a small problem can snowball into a major issue. Here’s a look at some small problems that can become a long-term problem if not addressed in their infancy.
- Rotator Cuff Tears – Your rotator cuff is comprised of muscles and tendons that help to hold the shoulder joint in place. Over the years, you’ll experience some natural wear and tear on these soft tissues, but if repetitive or acute stress causes major damage, you’re going to want to talk to a shoulder specialist to carefully strengthen these areas. Your pain can go from a dull ache to major discomfort and destabilization of the shoulder joint, putting you at a heightened risk for a dislocation. A partially torn rotator cuff that goes untreated can also lead to chronic inflammation in the joint, which can usher in early-onset arthritis and limit mobility, affecting your ability to perform simple tasks like reaching above your head.
- Labrum Tears – Your labrum is a thick piece of cartilage that is attached to the rim of your shoulder socket to help keep the joint in place. A partial tear or damage to this cartilage can cause the entire joint to become unstable. You can quickly work to restabilize the shoulder through some simple physical therapy exercises, or you can ignore the problem and risk your shoulder popping out of the socket during strenuous activity. Untreated labral tears can also lead to chronic pain and decreased flexibility in the shoulder.
- Shoulder Impingement Syndrome – Shoulder impingement syndrome happens when the bones of the shoulder impinge on the tendons or bursa in the area. It can lead to localized pain and difficulty completing certain tasks with your shoulder, like putting on a coat or reaching to the top shelf of your pantry. Typically caused by overuse, impingement syndrome tends to respond well to rest and physical therapy, but if you keep trying to push through the discomfort, it can lead to inflammation, which can translate to shoulder tendonitis or bursitis, as well as a thinning of the rotators cuff tendons, increasing their risk of a tear.
- Osteoarthritis – A final condition that should be actively treated is shoulder osteoarthritis. It is caused by wear and tear on the joint that leads to degeneration of protective cartilage that aids in movement. Because you can’t regrow lost cartilage, many people assume there’s not much you can do to treat the condition. However, if you keep doing the same actions that led to osteoarthritis onset in the first place, degeneration will continue at an accelerated pace, meaning symptoms will get worse sooner. Instead, work to strengthen the shoulder and nearby muscles to help limit stress on the area and slow arthritis progression. Not only can active osteoarthritis treatment help calm symptoms, but it can ensure that degeneration doesn’t continue to occur.
As you can see, it’s very important that you don’t ignore the warning signs of a shoulder problem, because the injury can become much worse. To attack your discomfort head on and work towards a full recovery, reach out to Dr. Holloway and his team today.
