Shoulder Arthritis

The term arthritis means inflammation of a joint.

Shoulder arthritis covers numerous conditions where the joint surfaces (cartilage) wear out.

The joint surface is covered by a smooth articular surface that allows pain-free movement in the joint.

The cartilage cushions the bones that make up a joint in order to absorb stress during movement.

Types of Shoulder Arthritis

The most common types of arthritis are:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, also called wear-and-tear arthritis, is a degenerative joint disease that affects the cartilage. The cartilage starts to wear away over time, and in extreme cases, nothing remains to protect the bones, causing painful bone-on-bone contact. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, which often occurs with advanced age, excessive strain, or another disease, injury or deformity.

Rotator Cuff Arthritis

Chronic large tears of the rotator cuff can cause the shoulder ball to ride high on the socket and rub on the overhanging shoulder blade. This can lead to cartilage wear and painful arthritis characterised by weak, decreased movement.

The rotator cuff muscles have atrophied and the tendons retracted.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

This is an auto-immune disease in which the body's immune system attacks healthy joints. Occurring most often in women of childbearing age (15 to 44 years), this disease inflames the lining of joints (synovium). Rheumatoid arthritis mostly affects joints of the hands and feet and tends to be symmetrical (affects the same joints on both sides of the body). With the advent of modern medical treatments, the rheumatoid disease is better controlled, limiting joint destruction and the need for replacement.

Causes of Shoulder Arthritis

Damage of the cartilage in the shoulder joint can cause shoulder arthritis.

When the cartilage is damaged, the raw bones begin to painfully rub against each leading to inflammation. The proportion of cartilage damage inflammation varies with the type and stage of arthritis.

Other Causes Include

There are numerous conditions that can cause arthritis and often the exact cause is never known.

Growth abnormalities of the shoulder
Trauma (fracture)
Increased stress, e.g., overuse, overweight.
Avascular necrosis (loss of blood supply)
Infection
Growth abnormalities of the shoulder
Connective tissue disorders
Inactive lifestyle, e.g., obesity Inflammation, e.g., Rheumatoid arthritis

Shoulder Arthritis Symptoms

Each form of arthritis affects the shoulder differently, with general symptoms including swelling and pain or tenderness for more than two weeks, redness or heat, limitation of motion and early morning stiffness. When severe, arthritis can deform or cause disability in the shoulder joint.

In an arthritic shoulder:

The capsule is swollen.
The joint space is narrowed and irregular in outline.
Bone spurs or excessive bone can also build up around the edges of the joint.

How is Shoulder Arthritis Diagnosed?

your doctor needs to diagnose your shoulder arthritis. This is done by:

Taking a medical history,
Performing a physical examination
Reviewing imaging of the affected region. These may include may

X-rays
Computed tomography (CT) scans
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans

Stages of Arthritis

This surface can wear out for a number of reasons, often the definite cause is not known.

Shoulder arthritis is often a degenerative disease and the onset increases with age (Osteoarthritis).

Early signs are restricted movement due to mild pain and spurs. However, as the articular cartilage wears out, the bone ends rub on one another and can cause significant pain and sleep disturbance.

What are the Treatment Options?

There is no cure for arthritis, but the symptoms can be managed.

Your doctor may:

Prescribe pain and anti-inflammatory medicine,
Advise ice application on the affected region, rest
Refer to occupational therapy or physiotherapy, for pain management, stretches and exercises and heat treatment

Pain reduction could be also achieved by your doctor organising administering an image-guided steroid injection directly into your joint.

In severe cases, surgery may be suggested. Common surgeries for treatment of shoulder arthritis include:

Arthroscopy (using narrow instruments and small incisions to clean out the damaged tissue)
Arthroplasty (replacement of the damaged joint with artificial components)

Untreated Shoulder Arthritis

For sufferers of Osteoa shoulder arthritis or damage shoulders due to Rheumatoid arthritis, if untreated normal movement may become increasingly limited. More often, however, the Progression of pain can become debilitating and may be difficult to control with analgesics. Eventually, the pain and stiffness can restrict activities of daily living, sleep and independence, compromising the quality of life., forcing some form of remediation.