Causes of shoulder pain
Shoulder pain is very common and will affect most people at some point in their lives. Causes of shoulder pain can differ with age. In young people, a common cause is shoulder instability. This normally occurs after an injury and causes the shoulder to dislocate partially or fully.
In middle age, people commonly experience pain from the tendons in the shoulder called the rotator cuff. This can start after strenuous activity or trauma such as a fall but can start for no reason at all. People typically find that it is painful raising their arm overhead and the arm may feel weaker than usual.
The other common cause of shoulder pain in middle age is a ‘frozen shoulder’ that gives quite significant pain, especially at night, and restricts the amount of movement of the shoulder in most directions.
In later years, people may develop arthritis of the shoulder. This also can restrict the movement of the joint and cause pain.
