Shoulder Pain

Your shoulders take a lot of wear and tear, even through normal daily activities, so it's no wonder that they can get stiff and fatigued. But there are other causes, including arthritis; "frozen shoulder" is an extreme form of shoulder stiffness. 

What causes it? The soft tissues around the shoulder joint are normally flexible, cushioning the ball of the joint (actually three joints) and allowing the large range of motion that allows us to reach, throw and maneuver our shoulders smoothly.

Sometimes these tissues become tight, thickened or scarred - often after an injury or surgery - and the ball of the shoulder joint compensates for the lack of soft tissue by gliding to accommodate the motion. This can cause stretching of the tissue capsule and pinching of the rotator cuff and other soft tissues... and major pain.