What Are the Causes of Pain in the Shoulder Joint?
Nowadays, people often wear clothes with exposed shoulders in pursuit of beauty, especially during summer. However, in air-conditioned rooms, the neck and shoulders are prone to getting chilled. Additionally, due to poor sitting posture while working on computers, pain in the shoulder joint may occur. In severe cases, there may be limitations in the movement of the shoulder area. Therefore, it is essential to maintain warmth, maintain correct sitting posture, and acquire knowledge about shoulder massage and care to prevent shoulder pain, especially for office workers.
What Causes Shoulder Joint Pain? Firstly, the cervical and lumbar vertebrae are the central nervous system of the human body, and any problems in these areas can lead to shoulder soreness. Besides taking good care of the shoulders, such as avoiding exposure to cold and maintaining proper posture, it is also recommended to do some shoulder health exercises, such as raising hands to hit the armpits and shoulders, which are good methods to prevent shoulder strain and reduce soreness. Secondly, scapulohumeral periarthritis is a chronic specific inflammation of the shoulder joint capsule and its surrounding ligaments, tendons, and bursae, characterized by gradual pain in the shoulder, especially at night, gradually increasing, and limited shoulder joint function. The pain gradually relieves to a certain extent and eventually recovers completely.
How to Massage for Shoulder Joint Pain? There are several methods: 1) Automatic massage, which involves rubbing the affected shoulder muscle with the healthy hand, repeatedly performing massage movements 30 times from top to bottom and from front to back. 2) Shoulder joint exercises, which involve lifting the affected arm forward, up towards the opposite shoulder, rotating it backwards to the scapular area of the opposite shoulder, and making circular rotations with the hand in front of the chest, repeating each movement 30 times. 3) Shoulder and limb lifting exercises, which involve marking a scale on a wall or tree trunk and then lifting the arm from low to high with maximum effort to touch the preset scale with the fingers, repeating 30 times.
Symptoms of Shoulder Joint Pain include: 1) Initially, shoulder pain manifests as paroxysmal discomfort, which often intensifies with climate changes or fatigue. The pain may radiate to the neck and upper limbs (especially the elbows). When the shoulder is accidentally bumped or pulled, it may cause tearing pain. Shoulder pain is typically worse at night, and many patients often wake up in the middle of the night due to pain, unable to sleep, especially when lying on the affected side. This situation is more prominent in patients with blood deficiency. If the pain is caused by cold exposure, it is particularly sensitive to climate changes. 2) Limited range of motion in the shoulder joint. As the condition progresses, long-term disuse can lead to adhesion of the joint capsule and surrounding soft tissues, gradually reducing muscle strength. 3) Cold sensitivity. Many patients fear cold in the affected shoulder and use cotton pads to cover it year-round. Even in summer, they dare not expose their shoulders to the wind. 4) Tenderness. Most patients can feel obvious tender points around the shoulder joint, which are often located in the long head tendon groove of the biceps brachii, the subacromial bursa, the coracoid process, and the attachment points of the supraspinatus muscle. 5) Spasm and atrophy. Early in the disease, muscles around the shoulder, such as the deltoid and supraspinatus, may experience spasms. In the late stages, these muscles may atrophy due to disuse, leading to prominent shoulder peaks, difficulty in lifting the arm, and limited backward bending. However, the pain symptoms may减轻 at this stage.
How to Prevent and Care for Shoulder Joint Pain? Firstly, it is important to stay warm and avoid cold exposure. Changes in the natural climate and cold, damp conditions can invade the body, causing muscle tissue and small blood vessels to contract. Prolonged muscle contraction can produce metabolites such as lactic acid and pain-inducing substances, which can stimulate the muscle tissue and cause spasms. Over time, this can lead to fibrous degeneration of muscle cells and dysfunction of muscle contraction, resulting in various symptoms. Secondly, it is necessary to strengthen functional exercises, especially for scapulohumeral periarthritis. Regular exercises such as Tai Chi, Tai Chi sword, gateball, or hanging arms at home using pulling equipment, dumbbells, and swinging arms can help. However, it is essential to control the exercise intensity to avoid injuring the shoulder joint and surrounding soft tissues. Thirdly, it is crucial to correct poor posture. For individuals who often work with their shoulders in an abducted position, such as those who frequently work on a desk, it is essential
