Why You Keep Getting One-Sided Shoulder Pain

It’s common for people to develop shoulder pain, since shoulders are the most complex and mobile joints in your body. The shoulders are susceptible to both injury and degenerative conditions like arthritis. 

Dr. James Nassiri and the team at Westside Pain Specialists can help you with any form of shoulder pain. You might need a pain management plan if you develop chronic shoulder pain, an on-going condition that can make daily life more difficult. 

It’s even possible that you have chronic or recurring shoulder pain on one side only. Today, we discuss what you need to know about why you keep getting one-sided shoulder pain. 

The rotator cuff

The most common source of shoulder pain is the rotator cuff, a collection of ligaments, muscles, and tendons that form a supportive shell around the three bones of each shoulder. The rotator cuff provides both movement and stability to the joint. 

Rotator cuff problems tend to favor your dominant arm. If you’re right-handed, then it’s more likely that your right shoulder suffers from rotator cuff bursitis, tears, or tendonitis. 

Overuse of muscles and tendons in the bicep can be perceived as shoulder pain. This, too, is common in the dominant arm. Repeated injury and irritation of the soft tissue of the shoulder area can make your pain chronic or recurring. 

Arthritis

Each shoulder is actually composed of two joints. The humerus, the upper arm bone, rotates in a shallow socket in the shoulder blade. 

The collarbone holds the upper end of the humerus in place against the shoulder blade, along with the support of the rotator cuff. As with any joint in your body, the two shoulder joints could suffer from some form of arthritis. 

Osteoarthritis is the most common form. Injury or general wear and tear can cause a breakdown of the protective cartilage covering, which cushions and lubricates the bones at the joints. Left untreated, osteoarthritis can cause progressive pain as the joints wear down. 

Once again, your dominant arm may suffer the most from osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, making it more likely to affect both shoulders. 

Dislocations

You have a dislocation when the humerus pops out of the socket on the shoulder blade. A dislocation is usually an acute injury, treatable when a doctor resets your shoulder alignment. 

However, a history of dislocations may make your shoulder unstable. These can also take a toll on the tissues of the rotator cuff, as well as the nerves and blood vessels in the shoulder area. It’s possible to develop long-term problems that require surgery to repair. 

Frozen shoulder 

Medically called adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder is a long-lasting but usually temporary condition that causes pain and stiffness in one shoulder. You may develop the problem in either shoulder. 

Most people won’t get frozen shoulder on the same side twice. It’s possible to develop frozen shoulder on the other side, usually within about five years of the original problem. 

There’s no need to live with shoulder pain. Visit Westside Pain Specialists in Beverly Hills or Rancho Cucamonga, California, by calling our nearest office today.