Shoulder Pain - Anatomy and Examination

Shoulder pain is most commonly associated with injury to muscles, tendons, and ligaments within the shoulder. However this pain can also originate from the area of cervical spine and radiate from the neck down into the shoulder and arm. There are two main joints within the shoulder: the acromioclavicular joint and a glenohumeral joint. There are five major muscles of the shoulder joint responsible for movement of the shoulder: subscapularis muscle, biceps muscle, supraspinatus muscle, infraspinatus muscle and teres minor muscle. What causes the pain then? Bursitis/impingement, tendonitis, rotator cuff tears, labral lesions (SLAP tear and Bankart Tear). The treatment of the pain depends on the source of the problem.