In any case where things don’t seem ‘normal’, the questions a good physiotherapist asks themselves are:
- Is this going to cause trouble?
- If it is trouble, what is going on?
- What led to this trouble?
So, if your shoulder cracks often, it might not cause you any harm or trouble, it could be just ‘your body’, in which case, don’t worry too much about it.
But if it’s becoming a problem (you have pain, you find it hard to move, you can’t sleep at night on the shoulder, reaching to pull up your pants or undo your bra is difficult etc.), it would be good to get it check out.
Below are the main reasons for a ‘cracking’ shoulder:
- Bursitis
- Abnormal joint mechanics (due to past injuries)
- Arthritis (you need to either have hurt it really bad in the past or be really old, so don’t stress!)
- Intra-articular pathology (labral tear, bony lesion, osteophyte)
Obviously, treatment differs for all of the above. Physiotherapists can help you every step of the way, although obviously we aren’t magicians and we can’t fix arthritis. We can still certainly help ease the pain, improve your movement and strengthening you shoulder.
Give us a call if you’re concerned the shoulder might cause your problems, even if it ends up being no problem, at least you know.
