According to the British Medical Journal, nearly one in two adults develop shoulder pain each year in the UK. When you understand that the shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body, and one of the most heavily used every day, it is not surprising that so many people can suffer from joint pain in the shoulder.
The shoulder is a ball and socket joint that moves in sync with your shoulder blade. The lining of your shoulder joint is made up of tough, yet flexible cartilage tissue and a moist inner layer of synovial fluid that helps to lubricate the joint as it moves.
Your shoulder joint is moved by the contraction of a set of muscles and tendons in your shoulder called the rotator cuff, which helps to support and move the shoulder joint at the same time.
How is shoulder pain caused?
There can be many causes of shoulder pain, some of which can be attributed to damage caused by an accidental injury to the shoulder, or through surgery to help repair injuries, or through the slow progression of an autoimmune inflammatory disease, such as arthritis.
In most cases, the most common causes of shoulder pain include:
- Bursitis
- Fractured bones
- Muscle tear
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Tendon tear
- Tendonitis
Steroid injection in the shoulder for arthritis
Osteoarthritis in the shoulder occurs when the cartilage layer that protects the end of the bones starts to wear away. When the bones of your shoulder start to rub together it can cause stiffness, pain and reduced flexibility of the joint.
This condition mostly affects people over the age of 40 and is a common issue for those who have overused their shoulder joint either through repetitive movement at work for many years, or people who take up competitive sports for many years.
Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is an autoimmune condition. This means your immune system starts to attack the healthy tissues in your shoulder joint. Rheumatoid arthritis damages your joint linings, causing pain and inflammation that can progressively become worse over time.
A steroid joint injection, also known as a cortisone injection, can give you great relief from shoulder pain that results from either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
How Dr Bhadauria can help
You can have a thorough medical consultation with Dr Bhadauria who will be able to assess your suitability for steroid treatment for your shoulder pain. If you are suitable and he thinks these injections will help, he will be able to administer a course of injections to give you relief from your shoulder injury or arthritis pain.
Steroid injections can only be administered by qualified health professionals such as Dr Bhadauria. In most cases, steroid injections are an effective treatment for shoulder pain and start working often within hours to a few days. This treatment will allow you to overcome the pain to a level that will enable you to carry on with your normal life.
Why not get in touch with our clinic today to book a consultation.
Article by Dr. Naveen Bhadauria
