Shoulder Pain and Popping When Lifting the Arm
If you lift your arm and feel pain in your shoulder and a popping sensation, it can be alarming. You're not alone—many people contend with this troubling issue, which can make mundane tasks and workouts a real struggle. What sends the shoulder into this state of dysfunction?
In this article, we look at some probable culprits, such as rotator cuff injuries and shoulder impingement. We will also delve into some ways to address these issues and hopefully get you back into shape and back to doing all the things you love to do with your arms and shoulders.
What Causes Shoulder Pain and Popping?
A complicated joint is the shoulder. It comprises not just bones but also muscles and tendons. Those components come together to form what is known as the shoulder girdle. The shoulder girdle permits and promotes a free and easy range of arm motion. When any basic structural component of the shoulder does not function properly, you can expect it to cause severe pain and discomfort, especially when you lift your arm.
Here are a few of the common causes of shoulder pain in Merrick:
Rotator Cuff Injuries
The rotator cuff consists of four muscles and their tendons. This structure in the shoulder is prone to injury, nearly always because of overuse, poor posture, or sudden trauma, such as falling. Engaging in overhead sports or working in overhead construction carries a high risk of rotator cuff injury.
When the rotator cuff is injured, symptoms include pain that intensifies with arm lifting and rotation, weakness of the shoulder, and a strange pop or click in the arm.
Shoulder Impingement
When the rotator cuff tendons are pinched or compressed as they pass through the space between the shoulder bones, they can develop what's known as a shoulder impingement. This condition can bring with it a profound sense of pain in the shoulder, a feeling of popping in the area, and inflammation.
Shoulder impingement has a few telling symptoms, the main one being that it hurts—especially sharp, shooting type of pain, especially when you lift your arm above shoulder height. It's also painful when you reach behind you, which is necessary if you want to, say, put on a shirt or do anything else that involves your arms and shoulders in close to your back.
Labral Tears
Labral tear occurs when the ring of cartilage stabilizing your shoulder joint sustains a tear. Symptoms of a labral tear consist of shoulder pain that flares with motion, an odd sensation in the shoulder (catching or locking), and popping or clicking noises with arm elevation.
Shoulder Arthritis
Shoulder arthritis can happen to you at any time, but it most often affects older adults. You end up with pain and stiffness, and a sensation that's also grinding and popping when you move your arm.
How Physical Therapy Can Help Shoulder Pain and Popping
When you have pain and popping in your shoulder joints, lifting your arm can be uncomfortable. Physical therapy can play a significant part in giving you relief and returning your joint to its normal function. How do therapists accomplish this?
Targeted Exercises
Physical therapists often prescribe targeted exercises meant to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. By working out these muscles, you can hopefully improve the stability and support of your shoulder joint, which may reduce the risk of re-injury and alleviate your pain.
Strengthening the rotator cuff helps prevent potential problems and address existing ones. Impingement and labral tear problems can always be traced back to a weakness in the rotator cuff coupled with another motion that the shoulder doesn't do well.
Manual Therapy
A manual therapist will work with the shoulder to help relieve tension and reset the tendons so the shoulder can properly function and allow better motion without the impingement or the tendonitis that's part of the problem pain.
Posture Correction
The shoulder is a complex structure, but it is not intrinsically incapable of moving normally in space. When human beings lift their arms, that motion—like all motion—should be free and easy. That is what the shoulder joint is designed for.
As with all body parts, the way we use them—assuming we use them at all—contributes to their health and longevity. For a shoulder not to develop impingement and rotator cuff issues and for it not to pop, the humerus must stay in gliding harmony with all the other joints that make up the shoulder unit. And that requires good posture.
Your physical therapist will assess your posture and work with you to correct imbalances, and teach you how to maintain proper alignment throughout the day.
Activity Modification
Shoulder pain and popping can occur due to daily activities and movements. A therapist will analyze your life, assess which awkward movements might be causing the issue, and guide you in correcting those movements. They may coach you through strengthening and stretching exercises to relieve pain and prevent a recurrence.
Home Care Tips for Shoulder Pain Relief
If you feel shoulder pain and popping when lifting your arm, you can take some actions at home to alleviate the popping and pain. Place ice packs on the shoulder for 15–20 minutes, 2–3 times a day. This can help reduce swelling and inflammation. You should also avoid making any seemingly strained movements that might make the pain worse.
Non-prescription anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen can reduce inflammation and alleviate pain. A shoulder brace or sling will also help support your shoulder and keep it from moving in ways that might worsen your condition as you heal.
If you still have pain after trying these home remedies, it's time to see a physical therapist. They might find something seriously wrong, like a torn rotator cuff or shoulder impingement that has advanced. Either way, they'll ensure you get proper assessment and diagnosis so you know what you're dealing with.
Conclusion
Experiencing pain and hearing popping sounds in your shoulder while lifting your arm can make even the simplest tasks difficult. But you should know that relief is possible with the right treatment. If your shoulder woes are the result of a rotator cuff injury, impingement, or another condition, physical therapy in Merrick can help you regain strength, flexibility, and posture to get you back to your normal, pain-free life.