Orthopedics-Online

Symptoms of shoulder osteoarthritis

introduction

The symptoms of shoulder osteoarthritis are difficult to interpret at the beginning and therefore require special care during examination or observation.
In the further course of this page, the various symptoms are listed and explained.

More information can be found here: Osteoarthritis in the shoulder - you should know that!

What are the typical symptoms of shoulder osteoarthritis?

The symptoms of patients with shoulder osteoarthritis are relatively unspecific and difficult to distinguish from other shoulder diseases.

Both the pain described and the regularly encountered restriction of movement of the joint can be found in shoulder osteoarthritis as well as in other shoulder diseases. Especially that Early stage the shoulder osteoarthritis is often not recognized.

A gradual onset of diffuse shoulder pain is relatively typical, often after exercise at rest or during shoulder-straining activity.
Lying on the affected shoulder can be painful.
Restrictions of movement of the shoulder appear relatively late, so that the daily activities are often only slightly restricted.
Later there is general pain in movement of the shoulder.

In contrast to the impingement syndrome, a painful bursa and tendon entrapment under the roof of the shoulder with painful lateral lifting (abduction) of the arm, in shoulder osteoarthritis it is particularly the turning movements (rotation) of the arm that is reported as painful.
As the disease increases, the range of motion of the shoulder joint decreases, starting with the outward rotation of the arm (External rotation).

In the later course of shoulder arthrosis, when the shoulder movement is more obvious and restricted in all directions of movement due to advanced signs of wear and tear and a pain-related posture, there are also significant functional restrictions.

So the hand of the affected arm can sometimes no longer reach the buttocks (hygiene), partly no longer to the head (Comb hair) or to the mouth (esweet).
When the arm is raised, the movement is more between the shoulder blade and the chest and less in the shoulder joint.

Also read our topic: Causes of shoulder osteoarthritis

Note: motion verification

You can test your outward rotation in the shoulder joint by applying the Elbow move the forearm bent at 90 ° away from the body.

Appointment with a shoulder specialist

I would be happy to advise you!

Who am I?
My name is Carmen Heinz. I am a specialist in orthopedics and trauma surgery in the specialist team of .

The shoulder joint is one of the most complicated joints in the human body.

The treatment of the shoulder (rotator cuff, impingement syndrome, calcified shoulder (tendinosis calcarea, biceps tendon, etc.) therefore requires a lot of experience.
I treat a wide variety of shoulder diseases in a conservative way.
The aim of any therapy is treatment with full recovery without surgery.
Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

You can find me in:

Lumedis - your orthopedic surgeon
Kaiserstrasse 14
60311 Frankfurt am Main

Directly to the online appointment arrangement
Unfortunately, it is currently only possible to make an appointment with private health insurers. I hope for your understanding!
You can find more information about myself at Carmen Heinz.

Pain when moving

With osteoarthritis of the shoulder, it is quite common for pain to occur when moving the joints. This is due to the changes on the inner surface of the joint that occur with osteoarthritis. The surfaces are no longer smooth, but have been pervaded by various processes with sharp-edged indentations and bulges. If the joint parts rub over it during movement, the rubbing causes unpleasant pain.

Nocturnal pain

The occurrence of nocturnal pain suggests arthritis of the shoulder (inflammation).
These inflammatory processes cause uncomfortable pain for the patient, especially at night and at rest. In the case of osteoarthritis of the shoulder, nocturnal pain indicates that it was too stressed during the day, e.g. through unusual or atypical movements during sport and work.

Read more on this topic: arthritis

Resting pain

The occurrence of pain at rest is less typical of shoulder osteoarthritis. This rather indicates arthritis (inflammation of the shoulder) or activated arthrosis due to previous overloading of the joint.

Also read our topic: Shoulder pain

Restriction of movement

Restrictions of movement are also not uncommon symptoms of shoulder osteoarthritis. The arthritic changes in the joints often reduce the range of motion. Additionally, patients often try to avoid pain and therefore minimize movements in the shoulder to small and careful movements.

The less the shoulder is moved in a shoulder osteoarthritis, the greater the restriction of movement. In the worst case, a so-called frozen shoulder can occur. This must be avoided at all costs.

You may also be interested in this topic: You can tell when you have frozen shoulder by these symptoms

overheat

The overheating of the joint is caused by the irritation and inflammation of the joint. Since it cannot be avoided that the shoulder joint is used and stressed, the joint can become overstimulated for shorter or, unfortunately, longer phases.
Patients perceive a significantly increased temperature in the shoulder joint area. The overheating is usually associated with other symptoms.

Crepitation or rubbing noises

The term crepitation refers to cracking and rubbing noises in the joint in cases of shoulder arthrosis.
These occur with different movements. This symptom is usually found in patients with shoulder osteoarthritis in the advanced stage. It is caused by the friction of the damaged cartilage on the inner joint surfaces. In addition to the destruction of the cartilage, there are also small bony outgrowths in various stages (Osteophytes).

Weather sensitivity

Many patients describe that they perceive weather changes in the joints affected by osteoarthritis. This manifests itself in increased pain, pressure, stinging or simply more conscious awareness of the joint. There is no precise explanation for this phenomenon. It can be assumed that even small changes in the air pressure in the joints are noticed.

Physical examination

During the physical examination, despite the symptoms, the doctor will initially not discover any external changes, as the shoulder joint is surrounded by a thick layer of soft tissue made up of skin and muscles.
There is no characteristic pressure pain at a certain point on the shoulder, as is typically found in other shoulder diseases such as ankle joint arthrosis, impingement syndrome or inflammation of the long biceps tendon. The symptoms of shoulder arthrosis are diffusely distributed over the shoulder joint, only sometimes emphasized over the anterior and posterior joint space.
Complaints can be provoked relatively reliably if the doctor rotates the arm, which is 90 ° apart and bent at the elbow joint, and at the same time exerts pressure against the socket by pressing the patient's elbow against the shoulder during the rotation. The increased friction in the shoulder arthrosis joint causes pain for the patient.

Such maneuvers are necessary in order to be able to make a suspected diagnosis, which is an occasion for further investigations.

You may also be interested in this topic: Therapy of shoulder arthrosis