Nicole Angelo, DO, MS, shares tips for diagnosing and managing shoulder pain in an interview with Medscape. 

The many different structures within the shoulder that can cause pain make diagnosis a challenge, said Dr. Angelo. 

Potential sources of pain include the joint of the shoulder itself, the structures within it (labrum, capsule, and ligaments), and the surrounding rotator cuff muscles and tendons, Dr. Angelo said. Patients also may experience overlapping pain referred from the neck (cervical spine) related to nerve irritation (cervical radiculopathy) or arthritis, Dr. Angelo noted.

“A patient’s history, including mechanism and acuity of injury, as well as exam, specifically weakness in certain movements,” can help determine whether advanced imaging and surgical intervention may be required,” Dr. Angelo explained. 

Read the full article at medscape.com.