Types of shoulder Pain

Most shoulder problems are categorized in most commonly four types. These are tendon inflammation or tendon tear, instability, arthritis of some type, or a fracture. A less common cause for shoulder pain can be bursitis, or an inflammation of a sac of fluid that is surrounding the joint of the shoulder. The sac is meant to lessen or eliminate any friction that might occur with the gliding of tendons in the shoulder. The tendon looks like a cord and its’ purpose is to connect muscle to bones. This is in contrast to ligaments that connect bones to bones. Tendonitis is an inflammation of that cord. When it has been inflamed for a long period, it is referred to as tendinosis. This inflammation or tendonitis is very similar to the manner in which the sole of a shoe can wear down over time from wearing that shoe.

In the shoulder joint, four tendons make up what is referred to as the rotator cuff. The function of the rotator cuff is to keep your arm bone, referred to as the humerus, in the socket of the shoulder. The rotator cuff allows the arm bone to move in all of the direction it does. At the same time, it gives stability to the joint so that the bone does not pop out of place. These same tendons can in certain cases tear. The usual cause of a tearing of a rotator cuff tendon is progressing age, over-use over a long period of time, or a sudden injury like a fall, or blow to that shoulder. When the shoulder blade puts pressure on the tissues of the shoulder, you can develop a problem called should impingement and this can lead to significant shoulder pain. The most common type of arthritis that can cause shoulder pain is osteoarthritis. This usually begins in middle age and progressively gets worse. This can be due to a distant injury or from just normal wear and tear of the shoulder joint. The fracture that can cause shoulder pain is a broken bone of the collarbone, the humerus, or the shoulder blade.

We at the Regenerative Medicine Institute of Nevada are proud to say that we offer these new innovative options and have had good success in many individuals that are trying to avoid surgical options to relieve shoulder pain. Running the full gamut from platelet-rich plasma (PRP) alone, to adding cytokines and growth factors to the PRP, to adipose-derived mesenchymal cells, or mesenchymal cells from a donor, the options available at the Regenerative Medicine Institute of Nevada to treat your shoulder pain are wide and may help you avoid a surgery that can have its series of potential limitations and complications.