Your shoulders are where the most mobile joints in your body are located. Shoulder joints take a lot of wear and tear and therefore have the potential to become unstable. Shoulder arthritis in Louisiana is one particularly painful condition that affects the shoulder joints.
Arthritis doesn’t only damage your muscles and tendons, but also your joints and ligaments. Shoulder arthritis normally causes symptoms such as joint pain and limited range of motion.
But there’s more than one kind of shoulder arthritis. Keep reading for a summary of symptoms of the five types of arthritis that affect the shoulders.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: One common form of shoulder arthritis is an autoimmune condition called rheumatoid arthritis (RA). You may experience pain in both shoulders at once if you have RA. You might also experience:
- tenderness and warmth in your joints;
- a stiff feeling in your shoulders, especially in the morning;
- bumps under your skin in your shoulders or arms;
- fatigue, weight loss, or fever.
RA affects your joint lining and can also cause joint swelling. It can also cause erosion of your shoulder bones and malformation of your shoulder joints over time.
- Osteoarthritis: This common form of arthritis associated with wear and tear is osteoarthritis (OA). It can affect the shoulders as well as other joints, such as your knees, hands, and hips, usually in people over the age of 50. This challenging form of arthritis is more common than any other type and is characterized by a combination of joint pain, tenderness, and stiffness.
- Post-Traumatic Arthritis: You may develop a form of shoulder arthritis in Louisiana called post-traumatic arthritis (PA) if you’re injured. Since shoulder injuries are often due to the shoulder joint’s instability, injuries such as shoulder fractures and dislocations may eventually lead to PA. Sporting injuries and other accidents can also cause this condition, which can cause fluid buildup in your shoulder joint, pain, and swelling.
- Avascular Necrosis: A condition called avascular necrosis (AVN) can result in shoulder arthritis in Louisiana by destroying the joint tissues in your shoulder. It’s caused when blood cannot reach the long bone of the upper arm. This can cause cells in your shoulder bone to die. The condition can happen due to joint dislocations and bone fractures. It can also be a result of taking steroids at high doses and drinking too much alcohol. AVN is a progressive disease, and it can gradually evolve from an asymptomatic disease to mild pain and eventually, it can cause severe pain.
- Rotator Cuff Tear Arthropathy: Your shoulder contains a rotator cuff, which connects the shoulder blade with the top of your arm through a collection of tendons and muscles. Injuries to the rotator cuff are common and can lead to a form of shoulder arthritis called rotator cuff tear arthropathy. Symptoms include intense pain and muscle weakness that can make lifting overhead difficult.
Talk to your doctor if you or a loved one experiences shoulder pain or other symptoms that may be related to shoulder arthritis in Louisiana. Since pain and stiffness associated with this condition can worsen over time, it’s important that you don’t ignore symptoms – so call us today to schedule a consultation!