The shoulder, elbow and upper arm are important body structures, and they’re used for many common daily activities. These activities include things like combing your hair and grabbing the cereal box on top of the refrigerator. When you’re feeling pain from your shoulder to your elbow, it makes doing normal tasks like these much more difficult. However, you may not know what’s causing you to have pain in these areas. Here are three conditions that can lead to the type of pain you’re experiencing:
1. Subacromial bursitis
Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that provide cushioning between muscles and bones, and there’s a bursa in your shoulder called the subacromial bursa. This structure is located directly above the rotator cuff muscles, and overuse of these muscles can cause the subacromial bursa to become irritated and inflamed. When this happens, the condition is called subacromial bursitis. One of the common symptoms of this condition is pain from the shoulder to the elbow. This pain typically becomes worse when you move your shoulder.
2. Bicipital tendinitis
Another condition that can lead to pain from the shoulder to the elbow is bicipital tendinitis. The biceps tendon connects the biceps muscle to the front of the shoulder, and this tendon allows the biceps to help bend the elbow and twist the forearm. Impacts from playing contact sports can easily injure this tendon because of its position, and such injuries can cause the tendon to become inflamed. In turn, the inflammation causes you to feel pain in the front and side of your shoulder. The pain can also feel like it’s traveling down the upper arm to the elbow.
3. Rotator cuff tendinitis
Rotator cuff tendinitis is a third condition that can cause pain from the shoulder to the elbow. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and tendons in your shoulder, and their job is to keep your upper arm bone firmly seated in the shoulder socket. The rotator cuff is also used when you’re lifting your upper arm or rotating your arm. The rotator cuff tendons can be injured during a car accident or from an impact to the shoulder, and they can also be inflamed by repetitive arm movements. No matter what caused your rotator cuff tendinitis, its symptoms will include sudden pain when moving the shoulder, and this pain is especially likely when doing overhead activities or movements. In many cases, the pain of rotator cuff tendinitis can also be felt in the upper arm or elbow.
Find treatment for pain from your shoulder to elbow at Peak Performance
At Peak Performance, we can help people treat many painful injuries and medical conditions. First, we’ll perform a free screening, and this will allow us to figure out the source of your pain. Then, our team will build a personalized therapy plan to treat the pain, and this plan may benefit from therapy methods such as:
- Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)
- Ergonomic training
- Therapeutic exercise
- Kinesiotherapy
Don’t wait any longer to begin treating your pain. Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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