Symptoms of bad shoulder and neck

Not all shoulders are healthy in life. Many people's shoulders are not in good condition. Some only have the shoulder part, and some include the cervical spine. When shoulder and cervical inflammation occurs, the first symptom is shoulder pain. This pain can be severe, dull or like a knife cutting. Especially after overwork and cold, the pain will be more obvious. In addition, there are many more symptoms.

1. What are the symptoms of shoulder and neck inflammation?

1. Shoulder pain

At first, the shoulder pain is paroxysmal, most of which are chronic. Later, the pain gradually intensifies or becomes dull, or knife-like, and is continuous. Climate change or fatigue often aggravates the pain. The pain can spread to the neck and upper limbs (especially the elbows). When the shoulder is accidentally collided or pulled, it often causes tearing pain. Shoulder pain is lighter during the day and heavier at night, which is a major feature of this disease. If the pain is caused by cold, the patient will be particularly sensitive to climate change.

2. Limited shoulder joint movement

The movement of the shoulder joint in all directions may be restricted, and it is more obvious in abduction, elevation, internal rotation and external rotation. As the disease progresses, long-term disuse causes adhesion of the joint capsule and soft tissues around the shoulder, and the muscle strength gradually decreases. In addition, the coracohumeral ligament is fixed in a shortened internal rotation position, which restricts the active and passive movement of the shoulder joint in all directions. Actions such as combing the hair, dressing, washing the face, and putting hands on the waist are difficult to complete. In severe cases, the function of the elbow joint may also be affected. When the elbow is flexed, the hand cannot touch the shoulder on the same side, especially when the arm is extended backward, the elbow flexion cannot be completed.

3. Fear of cold

Patients are afraid of cold shoulders, and many of them wrap their shoulders with cotton pads all year round. Even in summer, they dare not let the wind blow on their shoulders.

4. Tenderness

Most patients can feel obvious tenderness points around the shoulder joint, which are mostly located in the tendon groove of the long head of the biceps brachii, the subacromial bursa, the coracoid process, the attachment point of the supraspinatus muscle, etc.

5. Muscle spasms and atrophy

In the early stage, the deltoid muscle, supraspinatus muscle and other muscles around the shoulder may experience spasm, and in the late stage, disuse muscle atrophy may occur, with typical symptoms such as acromion protrusion, difficulty in lifting, and inability to extend backward. At this time, the pain symptoms are actually alleviated.

2. What are the examination and diagnosis methods for shoulder and cervicitis?

1. Inspection

The disease is mainly examined by X-ray examination and shoulder joint MRI:

X-ray examination

(1) The early characteristic changes are mainly the blurring, deformation and even disappearance of the subacromial fat line. The so-called subacromial fat line refers to the linear projection of a thin layer of fat tissue on the subdeltoid fascia on the X-ray film. When the shoulder joint is excessively internally rotated, the fat tissue is exactly in the tangent position and appears linear. In the early stage of frozen shoulder, when the soft tissue of the shoulder is congested and edematous, the contrast of the soft tissue on the X-ray film decreases, and the fat line under the acromion becomes blurred, deformed, or even disappears.

(2) In the middle and late stages, the soft tissue of the shoulder is calcified. X-rays show light and uneven calcification spots in the joint capsule, synovial bursa, supraspinatus tendon, and long head of the biceps tendon. In the late stage of the disease, X-rays show dense and sharp calcifications, and in some cases, large nodular bone hyperplasia and osteophyte formation can be seen. In addition, osteoporosis, hyperplasia or osteophyte formation at the joint end, or narrowing of the joint space may be seen in the acromioclavicular joint.

MRI of the shoulder

MRI examination of the shoulder joint can determine whether the signal of the structures around the shoulder joint is normal and whether there is inflammation. It can be used as an effective method to determine the location of the lesion and differential diagnosis.

2. Diagnosis

The diagnosis can be made based on medical history and clinical symptoms. Conventional radiographs are mostly normal. In the later stages, some patients may have osteoporosis, but no bone destruction. Calcification shadows may be seen under the acromion. In patients who are older or have had the disease for a long time, plain X-rays may reveal osteoporosis of the shoulder, or calcification of the supraspinatus tendon and subacromial bursa.