Your shoulders are the most movable joints in your body. They can also be unstable because the ball of the upper arm is larger than the shoulder socket that holds it. To remain in a stable or normal position, the shoulder must be anchored by muscles, tendons and ligaments. Because the shoulder can be unstable, it is the site of many common problems. They include sprains, strains, dislocations, separations, tendinitis, bursitis, torn rotator cuffs, frozen shoulder, fractures and arthritis.
Usually shoulder problems are treated with RICE. This stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Other treatments include exercise, medicines to reduce pain and swelling, and surgery if other treatments don't work.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- Shoulder Problems(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/518.printerview.html
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What Are Shoulder Problems?
(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Shoulder_Problems/shoulder_problems_ff.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/Informacion_de_Salud/Problemas_hombros/default.asp
- Common Shoulder Injuries(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00327
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Questions and Answers about Shoulder Problems(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Shoulder_Problems/default.asp
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Shoulder Pain(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/268.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/physical/injuries/268.printerview.html
- Taking Care of Your Shoulder(American Physical Therapy Association) - http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=20448
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Arthrography (Joint X-Ray)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=arthrog&bhcp=1
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=arthrog
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MRI of the Musculoskeletal System(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=muscmr
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=muscmr
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Shoulder Arthroscopy
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/shoulderarthroscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/shoulderarthroscopyspanish/htm/index.htm - Shoulder Problems(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/518.printerview.html
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Ultrasound - Musculoskeletal(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=musculous
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=musculous
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Joint and Soft Tissue Injections(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/774.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/physical/injuries/774.printerview.html
- Rotator Cuff Tears and Treatment Options(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00406
- Shoulder Joint Replacement(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00094
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Shoulder Replacement(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/shoulderreplacement/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/shoulderreplacementspanish/htm/index.htm
- Shoulder Surgery for Shoulder Arthritis: Explore Your Options(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/shoulder-arthritis/AR00038/METHOD=print
- Physical Therapists Offer Snow Shovelers Advice to Avoid Injuries(American Physical Therapy Association) - http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Healthy_Living&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=26238
- Shoulder Osteoarthritis Treatment(UpToDate) - http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=bone_joi/8530
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Shoulder Surgery Exercise Guide(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00067
Also available in Spanish http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00495
- AC Joint Injuries(American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine) - Links to PDF - http://www.sportsmed.org/secure/reveal/admin/uploads/documents/ST%20AC%20Joint%20Injuries%2008.pdf
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Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/374.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/physical/injuries/374.printerview.html
- Arthritis of the Shoulder(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00222
- Broken Collarbone(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00072
- Dislocated Shoulder(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/dislocated-shoulder/DS00597/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Fracture of the Shoulder Blade (Scapula)(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00359
- Impingement of the Shoulder(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00032
- Overuse Injuries(National Athletic Trainers' Association) - http://www.nata.org/consumer/overuse.htm
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Rotator Cuff Injuries(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/rotatorcuffinjuries/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/rotatorcuffinjuriesspanish/htm/index.htm
- Rotator Cuff Injury(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/rotator-cuff-injury/DS00192/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Rupture of the Biceps Tendon(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00031
- Separated Shoulder(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/separated-shoulder/DS00933/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Shoulder Instability: When Your Shoulder "Goes Out"(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/390.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/physical/injuries/390.printerview.html
- Shoulder Joint Tear (Glenoid Labrum Tear)(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00426
- Shoulder Tendonitis(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/tendonitis/hic_shoulder_tendonitis.aspx
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Rotator Cuff Exercises(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/265.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/physical/injuries/265.printerview.html
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Rotator Cuff Injuries(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/rotatorcuffinjuries/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/rotatorcuffinjuriesspanish/htm/index.htm
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Shoulder Arthroscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/shoulderarthroscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/shoulderarthroscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Shoulder Replacement(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/shoulderreplacement/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/shoulderreplacementspanish/htm/index.htm
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Anatomic Total Shoulder System(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 4/17/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/deo_2053/rnh.cfm?id=717
- Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 10/19/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=331
- Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair Procedure(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=260
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Bankart Repair To Correct Shoulder Instability(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 2/21/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/cak_1838/rnh.cfm?id=699
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Comprehensive Approach to Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 6/25/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/dem_2441/rnh.cfm?id=746
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Comprehensive Approach to Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: Options and Techniques(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 09/19/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/dem_2006/rnh.cfm?id=618
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Reverse Shoulder System(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 4/30/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/deo_2054/rnh.cfm?id=712
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Total Shoulder Arthroplasty(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 10/18/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/bio_1745/rnh.cfm?id=644
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Acromioclavicular Joint(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Acromioclavicular+Joint%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Dislocations(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Dislocations%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Rotator Cuff(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Rotator+Cuff%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Shoulder(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Shoulder%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Shoulder Dislocation(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Shoulder+Dislocation%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Shoulder Fractures(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Shoulder+Fractures%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Shoulder Impingement Syndrome(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Shoulder+Impingement+Syndrome%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Traumatic anterosuperior rotator cuff tears: the outcome of open surgical... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762651&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Transacromial extra-articular Knowles pin fixation treatment of acute type V... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18636022&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Measurement of blood flow in the rotator cuff using laser... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18591599&tool=MedlinePlus
- Shoulder Injuries and Disorders -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(shoulder+dislocation[majr]+OR+shoulder+fractures[majr]+OR+shoulder/in[majr]+OR+shoulder+impingement+syndrome[majr]+OR+rotator+cuff/in[majr]+OR+(acromioclavicular+joint[majr]+AND+dislocations[majr]))+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary of Orthopaedic Words(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/glossary.cfm
- Find an Orthopaedist(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/members.cfm
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - http://www.aaos.org/
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/
- Hand Injuries and Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/handinjuriesanddisorders.html
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/thoracicoutletsyndrome.html
- Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
- Injuries and Wounds - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/injuriesandwounds.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Shoulder Injuries and Disorders is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Shoulder Injuries and Disorders - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/shoulderinjuriesanddisorders.html