What would cause pain in both shoulders?

Do you feel like a T-Rex because your arms can barely move without causing searing pain in both shoulders? Well, fear not my friend! There are various reasons why this could be happening, and we are going to explore them all. So, grab some ice packs for those bad boys and let’s get started!

A Brief Overview of Shoulder Anatomy

Before we dive into possible causes of shoulder pain, let us first take a quick refresher on our shoulder anatomy. The human shoulder has three bones – the humerus (upper arm bone), scapula (shoulder blade), and clavicle (collarbone). These bones articulate with each other at joints which are held together by muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage.

There are two main joints involving the shoulder; the glenohumeral joint where the humerus meets the scapula creating a ball-and-socket joint that allows movement in multiple directions; and then there’s also an acromioclavicular joint between your collarbone and scapula which provides stability to your upper extremities.

Pheww…glad we have that out of way…now onto what could possibly be causing you so much discomfort.

Trauma from sports or accidents

One possible cause of bilateral (both) shoulder pain, especially if it came on suddenly after activity or accident would likely involve direct trauma of some sort. This type of injury commonly affects athletes who participate in overhead activities such as tennis players or swimmers but can happen due to falls resulting from car/motorcycle accidents among others.

Symptoms associated with traumatic injuries may include sharp pains felt around one or both shoulders (OUCH); however numbing sensations originating from lower neck area towards hand/fingers should raise concerns about possible cervical spine damage warranting further medical attention.

Rotator Cuff Injuries

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint, providing stability and allowing for a range of motion. Repeated overhead motions like those performed in tennis or swimming can cause fraying or tearing in the rotator cuff leading to pain.

These injuries could also occur due to acute trauma while playing sport such as an awkward landing after jumping or a sudden pull-off emergency brake causing rapid forceful retraction/twisting of extended arm from one side resulting subsequently in both-side injury (Less common).

Frozen Shoulder Syndrome

Frozen shoulder syndrome A.K.A Adhesive Capsulitis occurs when there is chronic inflammation at shoulder-level tissues contributing towards limited movement and stiffness; ultimately caused by adhesion formation within connective tissue layers encasing joints surrounding the entire capsule making up joint shells limiting mobility virtually rendering arms useless then followed later with prolonged PAIN!!

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis involves degenerative changes affecting cartilage (flexible bone coating softening load impact) situated atop your bones covering glenohumeral/acromioclavicular joint-bone ends. This damage progressively worsens over time causing shallow indentations into exposed remnants eventually eroding both articulating surfaces by generating frictional heat thus exacerbating pain severity which intensifies- especially with any attempts to rotate, lift weight etc.

Ouch…sometimes our bodies make us feel like bio-engineered robots at times,

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells including synovial membranes inflaming them causing wrist/hand/foot deformities along with severe arthritic symptoms involving many major body organs, but it can also affect your shoulders bilaterally giving you constant agony if left untreated (Grrrr shut down immune system!) .

Symptoms include morning stiffness lasting well over an hour and pain deep inside the joint that feels worse in cold weather.

Bursitis

Bursae are fluid-filled sacs located near joints whose purpose is to reduce friction between bones, tendons, and muscles. Repetitive overhead motion like performing a tennis serve can cause inflammation of these bursae resulting in swelling/tenderness/pain/limited mobility (Here comes the doctors needle)

Tendinitis

Tendons attach your muscles to bones facilitating movement; any sudden forceful nature pull motion can trigger acute damage causing fraying/tearing leading towards inflammatory conditions called “tendonitis.” This injury could eventually affect shoulder functionality if left untreated;

Symptoms include weakness, stiffness & localized pain with slight reddish warmth emanating from respective trauma sites . So make sure you take it easy when doing rigorous activities or use proper form techniques during lifts involving shoulders!

Labral Tears

The labrum is a ring of cartilage surrounding the socket portion of the glenohumeral joint holding upper arm bone within socket allowing smooth articulation. Due to wear-and-tear-related injuries such as excessive overhead lifting or repetitive strain (like pitching), there’s occasional tearing followed by significant pain, especially while throwing/kicking similar sports movements.

In severe cases requiring surgery, patients may require physical therapy post-surgery recovery periods which in result consists usually up-to-year-long sessions before full range-of-motion is regained completely for athletes looking forward to returning back into their field/court/team.

We have identified several causes of bilateral shoulder pain ranging from traumatic accidents/sports related damages, degenerative issues caused by osteo/rheumatoid arthritis/frozen shoulder syndrome. We also talked about how repetitive motions can lead toward chronic inflammation hurting our bursal points all around us! It’s best not to ignore symptoms in either arm since diseases like rheumatoid arthritis can progress fast if left untreated so speak with your doctor immediately if you’re experiencing such symptoms; using proper form techniques during lifts, stretching and taking regular breaks throughout day-to-day routine of keeping active could significantly reduce chances of life-altering damage. Take care of yourselves out there!

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