Check Up - Shoulder Problems

Do you suffer from pain in your outer arm, above the elbow? Or perhaps the pain runs all the way down to your wrist? Problem shoulders are surprisingly common, yet sufferers rarely think their shoulder is the culprit, and the problem can go undiagnosed. In this episode of Check Up, Barbara Myers will be in the studio with Orthopaedic Surgeon Professor Angus Wallace from the University of Nottingham. Whether your shoulder is ‘frozen’, arthritic or dislocated, he offers advice on what can be done to treat the problem, including physiotherapy, steroid injections and surgery. The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body, making it particularly vulnerable to damage. If the pain in your arm is so great that you can’t lift your hand behind your neck you could have a frozen shoulder. If the inflammation inside the joint doesn’t ‘thaw’ by itself, injections into the joint or keyhole surgery can help. Some shoulder problems, such as impingement syndrome or ‘swimmer’s shoulder’, where the tendon lying between the two bits of bone in the joint is squeezed after a minor injury, can often be resolved with physiotherapy. Arthritis destroys the surfaces of the shoulder joint. These patients may have to undergo surgery, where the shoulder is dislocated to expose the ball and socket for replacing or resurfacing.