2. Rotator-cuff injury
Your shoulder is giving you nightmares lately? Well… you should call your doctor as soon as possible, because you could have a rotator-cuff injury. Researchers estimate that rotator-cuff injury is the number one reason for shoulder pain in two-thirds of people experiencing it, which is around 2 million Americans every single year.
When we are getting older, tendons wear down, making us more prone to injury, including a tear. “This results in pain over the lateral shoulder, particularly with overhead movements and the lifting of arms away from the body,” says Miho Tanaka, MD, director of the Women’s Sports Medicine Program and associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
“These symptoms often develop over time without one specific injury.” Anti-inflammatory drugs and regular physical therapy can decrease the pain, though in some serious cases, surgery may be necessary. “If this pain is associated with true weakness and inability to lift the arm, and especially if there was an acute injury involved,” says Dr. Tanaka, “I would recommend not waiting to see a doctor.”
