Shoulder Conditions & Injuries

Your shoulder joint is made up of three bones - the clavicle (also called the collarbone), the humerus (the large bone in your upper arm), and the scapula (a large, flat bone in your upper back, also called the shoulder blade). The shoulder joint is designed to provide you with the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body; this is important given what we use our shoulder joints to do. This more open construction, however, can give rise to a number of problems - including "wear and tear" injuries, inflammation, dislocations and arthritis.

The four major tendons and muscles surrounding the shoulder joint are collectively referred to as the rotator cuff. When these become irritated, damaged or torn (for instance by a fall, lifting or a repetitive action like throwing a ball), it can cause acute pain, acute and chronic inflammation and loss of mobility in the joint. Your physician can prescribe the best course of action based on his evaluation of your condition.

The physicians at New England Hand Associates treat the following shoulder and upper extremity conditions:

• Tendonitis
• Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
• Dislocations (partial or complete)
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Fractures
• Arthritis
• Bursitis
• Brachial plexus injuries
• Shoulder instabilities

For more information about the medical specialties offered by New England Hand Associates, please visit the below health organization websites.

American Society for Surgery of the Hand
http://www.assh.org/Pages/Default.aspx

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
http://www.aaos.org/