Shoulder Pain and Common Causes [Video]

About the video: What are common causes of shoulder pain?

Shoulder pain can be caused by a number of factors, such as sports injuries, wear and tear, and pinched nerves. Summit Orthopedics’ experts Brent Warner, M.D. and Mark Holm, M.D. identify and explain the most common causes of shoulder pain.

Meet Dr. Brent Warner

Dr. Warner’s approach: “As an athlete, I understand the profound impact that an injury can have on a patient’s life and well-being. My goal is to return people to activity as quickly and safely as possible, whether that’s training for an ultramarathon or walking the dog around the block.”

Dr. Warner’s education: Dr. Warner received his undergraduate degree from Duke University in Durham, NC. He completed his medical doctorate at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, OH, and his residency took place at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. For advanced fellowship training, he attended the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, CO.

Meet Dr. Mark Holm

Dr. Holm’s approach: “Hand and arm injuries can change your life. Timely care done with a thoughtful plan can minimize the long term effect of an injury.”

Dr. Holm’s background: Dr. Holm began his studies in South Dakota, first earning his undergraduate degree at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, and later earning his medical degree at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine in Vermillion. He went on to complete his residency at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and he also completed a Hand Surgery fellowship at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

Summit Orthopedics offers comprehensive sports medicine expertise

From Olympians to pro athletes to kids in youth sports and those that just want to be more active—Summit Orthopedics delivers expert care by fellowship-trained sports medicine physicians. If you are recently injured or concerned about ongoing pain, Summit Orthopedics sports medicine specialists have the expertise to evaluate your discomfort and develop a plan to quickly and safely help you get back to being active.

Start your journey to stronger, healthier athletic condition. Find your sports medicine expert, request an appointment online, or call us at (651) 968–5201 to schedule a sports medicine consultation.

Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.

More resources for you

• Meet Sports Medicine Physician And Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Brent Warner
• Ask Dr. Warner: When Should I See A Doctor For Shoulder Pain?
• Simple Habits for Shoulder Health
• Ask Dr. Skendzel About Torn Rotator Cuff Symptoms
• Dr. Skendzel Explains Rotator Cuff Surgery
• Ask Dr. Beacom: Know the Signs of Swimmer’s Shoulder

Video Transcription

I think the most common causes of shoulder pain really can be broken down into kind of two categories. So, category one are traumatic injuries, which might be something like a sports injury or a fall. And then, more sort of chronic, degenerative types of injuries. And so, those are things that come from just repetitive use or chronic wear and tear – or, honestly, just to some extent the aging process in the shoulder. And oftentimes those two different categories really have different focuses in their treatment and ways to make people feel better. Other causes of pain and weakness in the shoulder could be a bone tumor or a nerve problem, a pinched nerve in the neck or a nerve problem under the shoulder, and that can cause pain, weakness. And then the people who do a lot of overhead repetitive tasks at work can get a lot of shoulder pain. It’s because that rotator cuff is rubbing against that bony roof of the shoulder here. So, when the arm comes up, the rotator cuff may rub against bone spurs that can form on this roof of the shoulder when a patient gets past age 40. And so, the room for the cuff there gets diminished, gets more narrow. So, when they lift their arm, the rotator cuff is jammed against that front edge of the acromion, we call the roof of the shoulder. Then that’s a source of pain.

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