Shoulder arthritis tends to refer to osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral joint, the shoulder’s ball-in-socket joint. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of shoulder pain with advanced age. It is characterized by degeneration of the joint surfaces.
What causes shoulder arthritis?
Osteoarthritis is present when the joint surfaces have degenerated, and this degeneration causes regular pain. Degeneration, or wear and tear, is a normal anatomical finding with increasing age and does not necessarily cause pain. When it does, however, we call this osteoarthritis.
Degeneration of the glenohumeral joint can be caused by:
- a history of excessive use
- prior injury, e.g. a fracture of the humerus
- shoulder instability, e.g. due to ligament injury, labral tear, or a rotator cuff tear
- joint infection
- general inflammation, most commonly due to diet.
What are the symptoms of shoulder arthritis?
The symptoms of glenohumeral arthritis are typical for osteoarthritis symptoms, i.e.:
- morning shoulder stiffness that usually lasts less than 30 minutes
- pain or stiffness that improves with mild activity
- pain that worsens with excessive activity
- crepitus (joint clicking, popping) with some movements
- sometimes loss of shoulder range of movement. Arthritis is easily differentiated from frozen shoulder which has very specific range of movement loss.
What treatments are there for shoulder OA?
The aim of treatment is to reduce muscle tightness, improve the biomechanics of the shoulder, and reduce inflammation.
There are a range of treatment options that help do this:
Massage
Massage can reduce tension in shoulder and neck muscles.
Herbal medicine
A herbalist can advise herbs and supplements that reduce inflammation.
Acupuncture
An acupuncturist will focus on local shoulder points, such as BL11, LI4 and SI3.
Electrotherapy
Some patients may get pain relief from TENS machines.
Surgery
Surgery should only be considered, however, if conservative treatment has failed to offer pain relief.
Can osteopathy help shoulder OA?
Osteopathy is very effective in the treatment of arthritic conditions, and that includes the shoulder.
As an osteopath and AK practitioner, I look for functional muscle weakness and treat the causes. Muscle weakness can be due to dysfunctions in the cervical spine, the cranial mechanism, or altered muscle reflexes.
I also look at the other shoulder joints – the acromioclavicular, the sternoclavicular and the scapulothoracic. Any restrictions in these joints will put more strain on the glenohumeral joint.
In addition to this, I have obtained very good results using functional (intraosseous) techniques on the humerus.
Even if you have significant degenerative joint changes and symptoms, there is a very good chance osteopathy can help. I regularly help patients with arthritis who tell me they thought their pain would never go away because they were getting older, or because they had a diagnosis confirmed by x-ray.
So, you must not accept chronic pain, just because you are a certain age and have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis.
If you think you may have shoulder arthritis, please contact the clinic.
To book an Osteopathy appointment in New Malden or in Marylebone, phone 020 8942 3148 or contact Aston Clinic London.
Aston Clinic London is a third-generation complementary health clinic based in New Malden and serves the local areas of Kingston, Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Surbiton, Chessington, Worcester Park, Sutton and other areas of southwest London and Surrey.
Aston Clinic London also offers Osteopathy and Herbal Medicine in Marylebone, Central London.
