Shoulder pain is a common problem with a number of different causes. It's often a symptom of another problem.
There are a number of reasons why you might be experiencing shoulder pain, which include:
- poor posture
- frozen shoulder – a painful condition that reduces normal movement in the joint and can sometimes prevent movement in the shoulder altogether
- rotator cuff disorders – the rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint and help to keep it stable
- shoulder instability – where the shoulder is unstable and may have an unusually large range of movement (hypermobility)
- acromioclavicular joint disorders – conditions, including osteoarthritis that affect the acromioclavicular joint, which is the joint at the top of the shoulder
- osteoarthritis in the shoulder joints
- a broken (fractured) bone, such as a fracture of the humerus (upper arm bone) or broken collarbone
In some cases, pain in the shoulder isn't caused by a problem in the shoulder joint, but by a problem in another area, such as the neck, that is felt in the shoulder and upper back.
Download our patient leaflet - Frozen shoulder