Examples include pain referred from arthritis of the neck, diseases of the chest Ultra Joint 360 such as pneumonia and diseases of the abdomen like gall bladder problems can cause pain to be referred to the shoulder. Even ectopic pregnancies have caused shoulder pain!!!
Finally, heart conditions can cause referred pain to the shoulder, particularly on the left side. A specialist's physical exam is important. Dr. Wei relates this story. "I saw a patient who had shoulder pain. The pupil of the eye on the same side of the shoulder was enlarged. That set off alarm bells so I got a chest x-ray. He tuned out to have a lung cancer. This combination is called Horner's syndrome."
Most causes of true shoulder pain fall into 3 categories
o tendinitis/bursitis- With repetitive motion, the bursae (small fluid-filled sacs) surrounding the shoulder joint can become inflamed. This condition is called bursitis.
o injury/instability- Keeping your arms extended above your head; chronic compression, ie forcing the shoulder into its socket; muscle imbalance- if one of the muscles is extra weak, that can cause the rotator cuff to function poorly.
o arthritis- Usually a function of aging.