Shoulder Pain In Athletes
Shoulder pain is a symptom associated with many possible causes. Since many athletic activities and sports take advantage of this joint’s range of motion, it can be very vulnerable to accidents. Factors like overuse, bad technique and muscle imbalances in your sports practice can cause severe injuries such as rotator cuff tears, labral tears, instability and many more
Shoulder Joint Injuries
Bursitis
Your bursae is a small, fluid-filled sac that is found within your joints. Sometimes, the excessive use of shoulder movements can lead to inflammation of the bursa between your bones and muscles, resulting in constant shoulder pain and stiffness.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis is caused by the inflammation of the tendon that connects your muscles to the bones. This injury can be acute (caused by excessive movements) or chronic (due to wear and tear).
Tendon Tears
Your tendons can split and tear apart from overuse or lifting too much weight. These tears can be partial, or completely detach the tendon from the bone.
Common Signs of Shoulder Pain
- Feeling pain when doing overhead movements.
- Experiencing discomfort when throwing or performing overhead lifts.
- Weakness and instability in your sports practice.
- Limited range of motion.
- Stiffness in your shoulder, hindering your ability to reach, lift, or rotate your arm.
- Swelling in your arm.
- Experiencing redness or warmth around the shoulder joint, indicating tissue damage.
3 Activities That Can Cause Shoulder Pain
If you play sports with repetitive motions, heavy lifting or frequent collisions, your shoulders may be at risk of suffering a severe injury. You don’t have to quit your practice, but it’s important to pay attention to what physical activities can cause shoulder pain. Below are the 3 main sports that can strain your joint:
- Baseball
- Swimming
- Weightlifting
1. Baseball
For baseball players, throwing can often cause shoulder pain. Inflamed rotator cuff tendons are the most common cause of this discomfort, as it makes your joint swollen or irritated after throwing the ball, usually due to the stress placed on the shoulder muscles.
2. Swimming
If you’re learning how to dive into pools, you might want to avoid suffering from shoulder pain. Due to the excessive amount of overhead arms movement, you could irritate the tissue in your joint and develop Swimmer’s shoulder, which comes with symptoms like discomfort and weakness in your arms.
3. Weightlifting
During your gym workouts, your technique is more important than how much you’re lifting. Putting on a weight that you can’t handle or not doing your mobility exercises before your routine, can cost you the health of your shoulder joints一specially your rotator cuff. This part of your body allows your arms to do overhead movements, and a bad lifting technique can lead to an overload on the tendons, causing tendonitis. If you don’t treat this injury, it can become a tear in the rotator cuff.
Treat Your Shoulder Pain Problems in Georgia
Taking preventative care of your joints while practicing a sport can save you from an injury. If you’ve had an accident during a physical activity that caused you shoulder pain, it’s not too late to visit us in Georgia. At Arch Orthopedic & Spine, you can find a team of professionals who can treat your joint problems and help you avoid more health problems in the future. Contact us to book your appointment and get back to the game.
