Signs & Symptoms

Subacromial pain:

• Result of rotator cuff tendinopathy & rotator cuff tears
• Upper/lateral shoulder pain, worse at night and when raising the arm
• Active movements are more painful/restricted
• Passive movements, especially external rotations, are restricted
• Important to distinguish between tears and tendinopathy to allow for a successful surgical intervention for tears
  • Think tear if: young, following dislocation/traction type injury + a positive drop arm test

Frozen shoulder:

• Usually between 40-60’s
• Both active/passive movements are restricted/painful
• 3 phases: pain, stiffness, resolution
• Duration 18-24 months (can vary from months to years)
• It can be Primary or Secondary (Trauma, Diabetes, Thyroid disease, Cardiovascular disease)

Instability:

• Traumatic (95% of patients) vs Non-traumatic (Hypermobile joint in young females) vs Muscle patterning (Poor posture)
• Pain
• Subluxation
• Dislocation: acute/recurrent/persistent (locked)

Glenohumeral Joint OA

• Deep joint pain w/restricted activities
• Globally reduced ROM with severe loss of passive external rotation
• Needs an x-ray to confirm the diagnosis