SHOULDER, PAIN IN

Abstract

This chapter explains pain in the shoulder which may be because of two entirely different groups of causes. Severe injuries, such as dislocations and even fractures, are not infrequently overlooked, particularly in the elderly and the non-complaining. Minor musculotendinous and ligamentous capsular tears around this joint are by no means rare, particularly when the joint is already restricted by previous disease. Pleurisy of the central portion of the diaphragm may be referred to either shoulder, and an apical and subapical consolidation, whether tuberculous, pneumonic, or malignant, may on occasion cause shoulder pain. An intrathoracic new growth may not be apparent until X-rays and possibly tomographs are performed; invasion of pleura and other structures adjacent to the joint may produce intense and persistent agony. In chronic pancreatitis, serum and urine amylase levels are elevated. Pancreatic calcification may be seen on X-rays.