The Shoulder Quiz

The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint made up of 3 bones: the collarbone (clavicle), the shoulder blade (scapula), and the upper arm bone (humerus).

The shoulder joint can also be unstable because it has such a wide range of motion. It is easily injured because the ball of the upper arm is larger than the shoulder socket that holds it.

Disease elsewhere in the body may cause pain to travel along nerves to the shoulder. Examples include gallbladder, liver, or heart disease, and disease of the cervical spine of the neck.

Shoulder dislocations occur more often than dislocations in any other major joint. The shoulder can dislocate forward, backward, or downward. In a typical case of a dislocated shoulder, a strong force that pulls the shoulder outward (abduction) or extreme rotation of the joint pops the ball of the humerus out of the shoulder socket. Dislocation commonly occurs when there is a backward pull on the arm.

Other symptoms include intense pain, weakness, and bruising. Muscle spasms can make the pain worse. Sometimes nerve damage occurs.

Experts advise that you not move the arm or shoulder for several weeks. Your healthcare provider may give you different instructions. Usually the healthcare provider tells you to rest the shoulder. They may tell you to put ice on it 3 or 4 times a day.

Another cause is a sport that requires you to move your arm overhead over and over again. One or more rotator cuff tendons may also become inflamed from overuse, aging, a fall on an outstretched hand, or a collision.