Shoulder Arthritis
What is arthritis of the shoulder?
Shoulder arthritis is not one single disorder - there are different kinds of shoulder arthritis in existence.
The word "arthritis" means inflammation of a joint and many different situations can be the trigger for shoulder arthritis.
These are the common types of shoulder arthritis :
- shoulder osteoarthritis
- shoulder rheumatoid arthritis
- shoulder arthritis after trauma - often simply called post-traumatic arthritis
Different aspects of the shoulder joint are affected by these different kinds of arthritis
The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint between the ball at the top of the humerus bone and the socket part of the shoulder blade - called the glenoid fossa.
Other joints also form part of the shoulder joint complex - including the nearby acromioclavicular joint between the shoulder blade and the collar bone.
The Cause of Shoulder Arthritis
Arthritis in the shoulder can be due to osteoarthritis, to rheumatoid arthritis or can arise as a result of injury to the shoulder area.
Osteoarthritis is often described as "wear and tear" arthritis. It is more common after the age of fifty years and usually occurs as a longer term consequence of previous injury. True osteoarthritis around the shoulder is more common in the A-C joint than in the main ball and socket joint of the shoulder but can occur at both sites.
Rheumatoid Arthritis can cause problems in joints all over the body. It more commonly affects the small joints of the hands and feet in a both-sided symmetrical way. But shoulder arthritis can arise in patients with Rheumatoid arthritis disease.
Post-traumatic shoulder arthritis arises after injury to the shoulder joint - such as a fracture or dislocation. It can also develop after a tear of the rotator cuff muscles.
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