The causes of shoulder pain can be grouped under five headings. These headings that cause the shoulder pain  are: Bursitis, Fibrosite, Frozen Shoulder, Dislocated Shoulder and Other health problems.

1. Bursitis: In particular, the discomfort, also known as vesicular inflammation of the shoulder, knee and circumference, hip and elbow, is caused by inflammation of the fluid-filled vesicles between the bone and soft tissue, reducing friction.
2. Fibrosite: These are tiny hard spots that give a sweet pain when pressed on them, but it is awful when they hurt spontaneously. Fibrositis is a state of pain and numbness caused by the muscles failing to relax due to a poor body position and the use of the shoulder joint. Also  it is seen often in people who stay long  under airconditioners, too.
3. Frozen Shoulder: It is a painful condition caused by calcification of the shoulder joint capsule caused by restriction of shoulder movement. It is usually caused by a person not moving his shoulder for a long time due to shoulder pain, which is caused by different causes.
4. Dislocated Shoulder: Pain may occur in the shoulder joint as a result of traumas that cause strains of the bone ends.
5. Other health problems: Cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, tuberculosis, lung tumors, diabetes and neck diseases are some examples of other health problems that also cause shoulder pain,too.

As mentioned above many factors can cause shoulder pain. This  shoulder pain may be caused by various problems of the shoulder joint or may be a symptom of many other health problems. Therefore, although shoulder pain is one of the common joint pain, the location, type and severity of the pain should be evaluated in detail together with other findings. For this reason, it is important for the patient to provide accurate information to the doctor before the examination. According to the patient’s history, the doctor after doing physical examination can request additional investigations  and then  reveals the actual cause of the pain and arranges the appropriate treatment.

How is shoulder pain diagnosed?

The majority of shoulder pain is caused by damage to the soft tissue in the shoulder joint.In order to evaluate the shoulder joint structure in detail, the physician may request an MRI after a detailed physical examination. A thorough examination of the bones and other tissues in the shoulder region can be used for a definitive diagnosis. However, in some cases, x-ray and computed tomography may also be sufficient.

In some cases, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to clarify the diagnosis of shoulder pain. For example, EMG may also be required in patients with nerve injuries due to trauma. In case of pain in the shoulder area due to other disorders, the physician directs the person to the relevant department to ensure the diagnosis becomes clear.