Conditions We Treat
Shoulder Doctor in Carmel, Indiana
Your shoulder is a powerhouse joint. In fact, it’s the most mobile joint in your body – allowing you to move your arm in almost any direction. However, the great range of motion your shoulder is capable of also makes it susceptible to injury.
Any type of repetitive motion involving the shoulder can cause an injury. Shoulder injuries are especially common among athletes who perform overhead motions, as is the case with swimming, weightlifting, tennis, and other intense sports. Certain activities such as carpentry or painting can also increase your risk of developing a shoulder problem.
At Total Shoulder in Carmel, Indiana, we exclusively deal with those suffering from pain, injuries, or conditions affecting the shoulder. Board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic shoulder surgeon Dr. Stephen Jacobsen and his team diagnose and treat a wide range of shoulder conditions. The below are among the most common conditions we treat.
Shoulder Pain Conditions
If you are experiencing pain, stiffness, and weakness in your shoulder, this may indicate inflammation of the joint (arthritis), resulting from damage in the area where bones meet. The symptoms you experience may worsen with activity and over time. Shoulder arthritis is most often associated with the wear and tear of aging, but it can also occur in younger adults at the site of a former injury.
Arthritis can occur in numerous areas of the shoulder, so pain may be felt in the front, back, side, or top of the shoulder. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, and it occurs most often in the acromioclavicular (AC) joint, which is located at the top of the shoulder.
When it occurs in the glenohumeral (ball and socket) joint of the shoulder it may lead to painful stiffness.
Why You Should See a Doctor
While shoulder arthritis is less common than arthritis of the knee or hip, when it strikes, the impact can be devastating. The pain of shoulder arthritis often restricts the ability to move your shoulder more and more over time – until you are unable to perform many of the daily activities you used to enjoy.
Treating shoulder arthritis often begins with conservative measures, such as oral anti-inflammatory medications, injectable steroids, and physical therapy. If these treatments fail to bring sufficient relief, surgery to remove or replace the damaged portions of the joint can often effectively relieve pain and restore your quality of life.
One of the most common causes of shoulder pain, a rotator cuff tear, may occur suddenly when a tendon is ripped away from bone during a sudden or severe impact with an outstretched arm. This can occur with a jerking motion while lifting something heavy, or when bracing yourself during a fall or car accident. This type of acute rotator cuff injury causes immediate pain that may shoot down the arm, arm weakness, and possibly a tearing, popping, or snapping sensation in the shoulder.
Rotator cuff tears more commonly occur gradually with wear and tear, usually due to overhead arm movements. With these types of chronic rotator cuff injuries, your pain may be more noticeable when the area is compressed, such as when sleeping on your side. The injury may also worsen over time.
Why You Should See a Doctor
Most rotator cuff tears will not heal on their own – and may in fact, become larger tears over time, with repeat injury. Left untreated, a rotator cuff can result in:
- Persistent shoulder pain
- Difficulty raising your arm
- Weakness in the arm and shoulder
- Ongoing popping or snapping when you move your arm
At Total Shoulder in Carmel, Indiana, Dr. Jacobsen and his team will utilize the least invasive methods possible to treat your rotator cuff injury. Not all rotator cuff tears require surgery. Anti-inflammatories and physical therapy are all some patients need. In other cases, surgical repair can relieve shoulder pain and help restore arm strength. The type of surgery you may need will depend on the extent of the tear.
If your shoulder feels loose or like it could give way – especially with overhead arm movements or when reaching behind you – you may have shoulder instability. It is often accompanied by pain.
Shoulder instability is the result of a tear or other damage to the lining and rubbery rim (labrum) of your shoulder socket. The labrum helps keep the joint in place, so damage in the area can make it more likely for the “ball” portion (humeral head) of your upper arm bone to pop out of position easily.
Damage to the labrum occurs due to a shoulder dislocation or trauma to the shoulder, as well as due to repetitive shoulder strain.
Why You Should See a Doctor
Shoulder instability increases your risk of future, recurrent shoulder dislocations. Shoulder arthritis may also develop, which will increase your shoulder pain. With shoulder instability, you may be less likely to engage in certain arm movements, which can lead to muscle atrophy and affect your quality of life, as you find yourself refraining from activities you once enjoyed.
A common nonsurgical way to treat shoulder instability is by strengthening the rotator cuff muscles through physical therapy. However, if your rotator cuff is also damaged, you may require shoulder surgery to relieve symptoms and restore joint stability.
Frozen shoulder often starts out feeling like a dull ache in one shoulder. It is typically felt diffusely about the shoulder and frequently travels down the arm. It can often be accompanied by tingling or numbness down the arm and can be confused with nerve compression in the neck. The shoulder joint will become progressively stiffer until ultimately, it is very difficult to move, even with the help of someone else. Your pain may improve while movement worsens.
Also called adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder occurs when the fluid-filled sac (capsule) lubricating the shoulder joint becomes stiff and tight. Scar tissue (adhesions) forms, preventing movement of the joint.
It is unclear why frozen shoulder develops, although people between the ages of 40-60 and those whose shoulder has been immobile for a period of time have a higher risk of developing the condition.
Why You Should See a Doctor
Frozen shoulder will often go away on its own, within a few years. However, most people don’t wish to endure the pain and restricted movement of frozen shoulder for that long.
Nonsurgical methods to treat frozen shoulder include specialized physical therapy that focuses on shoulder flexibility. Oral anti-inflammatory medication or Ultrasound-guided steroid injections may also be used.
If these methods are not providing enough relief for you, there are surgical options that can provide a speedier recovery from frozen shoulder. These include cutting through tight portions of the capsule and/or manipulation under general anesthesia to break up the scar tissue. Physical therapy will also be included with these options, as it is a critical component following any type of surgical intervention.
Your biceps are the muscles located at the front of your upper arms. These muscles are held in place by tendons, which are strong tissue that connect muscle to bone. One set of tendons (the proximal biceps tendons) secures the muscle to two places at the shoulder. The other tendon (the distal biceps tendon) secures the muscle to the elbow.
“Biceps tendinopathy” is a broad term used to describe pain involving the biceps tendons. It typically means the tendons have been injured due to trauma or overuse – such as with activities that include pushing, pulling, or throwing. Biceps tendon injuries can occur either at the shoulder or at the elbow, and it occurs more commonly at the shoulder.
If you have a biceps tendon injury, you may feel pain at the front of your shoulder that gets worse at night, especially if you sleep on your side or stomach.
Why You Should See a Doctor
Injured tendons may start to fray. With enough stress or persistent pressure, tendons can tear away from the bone, either partially or completely.
The treatment you require will depend on the cause and extent of your biceps tendinopathy. Dr. Jacobsen and his team are skilled and experienced at accurately diagnosing your condition, so you can receive the most appropriate and effective treatment for your shoulder injury. If conservative treatment options, such as ice, rest, cold therapy, anti-inflammatories, and physical therapy, fail to resolve your symptoms, you may require surgery, followed by specific flexibility and strengthening exercises.
Shoulder trauma usually means either broken bones (fractures), a dislocated shoulder, or other tissue damage as a result of a sudden and severe impact to the shoulder. This can occur during contact sports, as well as during falls, car crashes, and on-the-job accidents.
The bones most often affected by shoulder trauma include:
- Shoulder blade (scapula)
- Collarbone (clavicle)
- Upper arm (humerus)
The three joints of the shoulder that may be affected by shoulder trauma are:
- Glenohumeral joint – the primary ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder
- Acromioclavicular (AC) joint – located at the top of the shoulder
- Sternoclavicular joint – where the collarbone meets the breastbone (sternum)
Why You Should See a Doctor
It’s important to seek medical attention right away after any significant traumatic injury of the shoulder.
Shoulder fractures or dislocations may need to be reset, with or without surgery. Immobilization, anti-inflammatory relief, and physical therapy are all often parts of shoulder trauma treatment.
Soft tissue damage, such as strains and sprains, may also occur in shoulder trauma and may or may not require surgical treatment. If there is bruising of deep tissue in the shoulder, it will not only be painful but may also cause internal bleeding, which is considered a medical emergency.
Do you have shoulder pain or restricted movement that begins at the shoulder? Get the medical care you need from a shoulder specialist near you. Dr. Stephen Jacobsen and his team at Total Shoulder in Carmel, Indiana, have the expertise you need. Call Total Shoulder at (317) 705-4392 today or request an appointment now.
