What Is Shoulder Impingement Syndrome, and How Does It Affect You?

 The human shoulder is not as straightforward as it appears on the surface. It's made up of a number of bones, tendons, and muscles that all work together to allow you to move freely. The scapula (shoulder blade), humerus (upper arm bone), and clavicle are the three bones that make up the shoulder (collar bone). We'll talk about shoulder impingement syndrome in this article.

The rotator cuff is a bundle of tightly packed muscles that runs from your shoulder blade to the top of your humerus and keeps the humerus firmly seated in the glenohumeral joint, or shoulder joint. The rotator cuff is responsible for your ability to spin and raise your arms above your head.

However, with so many moving parts crammed into such a small space, there's always the chance that something will go wrong. Because the rotator cuff is sandwiched between two bones, it is prone to being squeezed. Shoulder impingement syndrome is the medical term for this condition.

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome: What Causes It?

Anatomical anomalies, such as bone spurs, can induce shoulder impingement syndrome by limiting the amount of space the humerus has to move within the shoulder joint. However, overuse of the shoulder or injury are the most common causes.

The tendons of the rotator cuff enlarge when they are overused, damaged, or inflamed. Swelling in other places of your body is likely something you've encountered previously. It's unpleasant, but it's usually not serious and passes in a few days. The rotator cuff, however, is enclosed by bone and has no place to grow without the tendons pressing against the bone.

The more the tendons press on the bone, the more they swell. And when they swell, they rub against the neighboring bones more. It's a vicious spiral that's difficult to escape.

How To Deal With The Pain

Shoulder impingement syndrome limits your range of motion by creating arm weakness and stiffness, as well as making lifting, reaching, and rotating your arm difficult. However, there are a few various ways to deal with the discomfort.

Physical treatment can help reduce inflammation, improve range of motion, and strengthen your rotator cuff if the syndrome is identified early enough. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen can also be used to relieve swelling and inflammation-related pain. Surgical surgery may be indicated in severe cases of shoulder impingement syndrome.

However, an increasing number of patients are looking into regenerative medicine as a way to prevent surgery and, in some situations, recover from surgery that is inevitable. Mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to be a therapeutic and restorative option for pain management, inflammation reduction, and tissue repair. Their paracrine signalling via extracellular vesicles creates a regenerative milieu that helps to reduce inflammation, limit scar tissue development, and stimulate angiogenesis. Contact a care coordinator at Stemedix today to learn more about the treatment options for shoulder impingement syndrome!