4 Common Types of Arthritis that Affect Shoulders

Shoulders take a lot brunt everyday that causes wear and tear as they are the most mobile joints in the body. Excess strain makes shoulders vulnerable to unstable, which may lead to arthritis. Shoulder arthritis is a painful condition that not only damages muscles and tendons, it may also affects joints and ligaments. Shoulder problem often results in the limited range of rotation, causing a painful situation for the patient. As there is no comprehensive cure for arthritis, the doctor is likely to prescribe shoulder pain treatments and diagnosis, based on the type of arthritis affecting the shoulders. We list the four types of arthritis that affect the shoulder.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is associated with wear and tear that affects shoulders and other joints including hips, hands, and knees. People over the age bracket of 50 are more likely to develop osteoarthritis. This is a more common type of arthritis, and the symptoms include tenderness and stiffness of shoulders along with joint pain. The symptoms may get aggravated among the patients, who are overweight.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

An autoimmune condition, rheumatoid arthritis affects the joint lining and can cause erosion of shoulder bone. The problem may also lead to deformity of shoulder joints over the time. The affected patients feel pain in both the shoulders and experience following symptoms:

• Warmth and tenderness in joints
• Stiffness in shoulders, especially in the morning
• Weight loss, fever, and fatigue
• Bumps under skin of arms or shoulders (also called ‘Rheumatoid Nodules’)

Avascular Necrosis

Avascular Necrosis is a condition that destroys joint tissues in the shoulder could lead to arthritis. When the blood doesn’t reach humerus bone (long bone of the upper arm), this can cause cells in the shoulder bone to die and result in avascular necrosis. Bone fracture and joint dislocation are two common reasons that lead to this condition. Avascular Necrosis is a progressive disease and usually proliferates from an asymptomatic disease to mild pain, creating a severely painful situation for the patient.

Post-traumatic Arthritis

A shoulder injury can make a patient susceptible to post-traumatic arthritis. The most common shoulder injuries that lead to the problem include shoulder joint instability, shoulder dislocation, and the shoulder fracture. Individuals, who suffered sporting or accidental injuries can also develop post-traumatic arthritis. The problem may also cause the buildup of fluid in shoulder joints leading to pain and swelling.

Last Few Words

Arthritis has no single cure as each type of disease got a different course of treatment. The doctors mostly prescribe pain relief medicines to patients and recommend living a healthy lifestyle. If exercise and medication fail to provide relief from pain and improve mobility, surgery could be the last option for the patient. The doctors in most of the cases would start with medication before advising the patient to undergo a surgical procedure after detecting shoulder arthritis symptoms.