The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body, and it pays for that mobility with instability and a long list of things that can go wrong. Shoulder pain is a symptom, not a diagnosis — and treating it well begins with naming the structure responsible. At Remix Medical in Houston, our pain management physicians do exactly that.
What Causes Shoulder Pain?
The shoulder is a shallow ball-and-socket joint held together largely by soft tissue: the rotator cuff, the labrum, the joint capsule, and the surrounding musculature. It also sits directly downstream of the cervical spine, which means a neck problem can present as shoulder pain and frequently does.
Effective treatment depends on identifying which of these structures is generating the pain.
Common Causes of Shoulder Pain
1. Rotator Cuff Disorders
Impingement, tendinopathy, and tearing. The most common cause of shoulder pain in adults.
2. Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)
The joint capsule thickens and contracts, producing profound stiffness alongside pain. Strongly associated with diabetes.
3. Glenohumeral or AC Joint Arthritis
Degenerative change in the main joint or in the smaller acromioclavicular joint at the top of the shoulder.
4. Bursitis
Inflammation of the subacromial bursa, the fluid-filled cushion overlying the cuff.
5. Labral Tears and Instability
More common in younger, athletic patients, and after dislocation.
6. Cervical Radiculopathy
A compressed nerve root in the neck refers pain into the shoulder and arm. This is a spine problem wearing a shoulder disguise.
Symptoms Worth Noting
- Pain over the outer shoulder, or deep within the joint
- Night pain, particularly lying on the affected side
- Stiffness, especially loss of external rotation (suggestive of frozen shoulder)
- Weakness with elevation or rotation
- Pain radiating below the elbow, or accompanied by numbness and tingling — which points toward the neck rather than the shoulder
- Clicking, catching, or a sense of the joint slipping
How Remix Medical Can Help
Evaluation begins with a structured examination designed to separate cuff from capsule from joint from cervical spine. Ultrasound allows real-time assessment of the tendons and permits precise, guided injection.
Our treatment options include:
- Ultrasound-guided subacromial, glenohumeral, and AC joint injections
- Suprascapular nerve block for refractory pain and for frozen shoulder
- Cervical epidural injection or medial branch block where the neck proves to be the source
- Trigger point injections for the periscapular muscular pain that accompanies most shoulder problems
- Medication management for pain and inflammation
- Physical therapy referral, and in-house chiropractic and soft-tissue therapy
- Orthopedic referral for surgical conditions
Relief from Shoulder Pain at Remix Medical
A shoulder that has been treated generically for a year has usually not been diagnosed specifically. Book a visit with a Houston pain specialist.