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Shoulder Arthritis

Ease your pain & discomfort

Shoulder arthritis is a common cause of chronic pain and shoulder disability.

The term arthritis literally means inflammation of a joint, but is generally used to describe any condition in which there is damage to the cartilage. Damage of the cartilage in the shoulder joint causes shoulder arthritis.

Patients who suffer from this condition experience shoulder arthritis symptoms such as chronic pain, weakness and stiffness of the joint.

Shoulder specialists in Kenya at NSOC are dedicated to helping patients fight this condition and return to a happy, active life.

 

Shoulder arthritis

Types of  Shoulder Arthritis

Shoulder arthritis

The major types of shoulder arthritis include:

  • Osteoarthritis: This “wear and tear” arthritis is a condition that destroys the articular cartilage of the bone. With the cartilage destroyed, bones in the shoulder rub together leading to pain. In many cases, osteoarthritis affects people over 50 years of age.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis: This chronic disease attacks multiple joints throughout the body and is considered an autoimmune disease. Rheumatoid arthritis causes the synovial lining that lubricates the joint to swell leading to pain and stiffness.
  • Posttraumatic arthritis: This form of osteoarthritis develops after an injury to the shoulder joint such as a dislocated shoulder, rotator cuff injury or shoulder fracture. Even after the injury is repaired, the joint can still experience arthritis due to mechanical and chemical changes within the joint.
  • Rotator Cuff Tear Arthropathy: Arthritis can also develop after a long-standing rotator cuff tendon tear. The torn rotator cuff can no longer hold the head of the humerus in the glenoid socket, and the humerus can move upward and rub against the acromion causing arthritis to develop.
  • Avascular Necrosis of the shoulder: This is a painful condition that occurs when the blood supply to the head of the humerus is disrupted. Because bone cells die without a blood supply, it can ultimately lead to destruction of the shoulder joint and arthritis. AVN can be caused by high dose steroid use, heavy alcohol consumption, sickle cell disease, and traumatic injury, such as fractures of the shoulder
Shoulder arthritis

Causes of  Shoulder Arthritis

Natural wear and tear of cartilage in the joint as well as untreated rotator cuff injuries can cause arthritis of the shoulder

As time goes , cartilage diminishes and damage caused to the shoulder progresses.

Stiffened shoulder movement and constant pain are quite common for those dealing with shoulder arthritis.

There are two distinct joints in the shoulder area that can be affected by arthritis- the acromioclavicular (AC) joint and the sternoclavicular (SC) joints at either end of the clavicle (collarbone).

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Diagnosing  Shoulder Arthritis

Arthritis of the shoulder is typically diagnosed with a physical examination and x-rays.  During the physical examination, the physician will be looking for pain on range of motion, grinding of the joint, weakness of the shoulder and tenderness to touch.

X-rays of the shoulder can be used to show bone cysts, loss of joint space and bone spurs at the edges of the joint.

MRI may be needed for patients with arthritis of the acromiclavicular joint to check for  developing rotator cuff tears.

Shoulder arthritis

Quality treatment of Shoulder Arthritis

Shoulder arthritis

As with other arthritic conditions, initial treatment of arthritis of the shoulder is nonsurgical. Your doctor may recommend the following treatment options:

  • Rest or change in activities to avoid provoking pain. You may need to change the way you move your arm to do things.
  • Physical therapy exercises may improve the range of motion in your shoulder.
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen, may reduce inflammation and pain. Consult with your doctor before taking over-the-counter NSAIDs if you have a history of ulcers or are taking blood thinning medication.

More conservative treatments for arthritis of the shoulder are:

  • Corticosteroid injections in the shoulder can dramatically reduce the inflammation and pain. However, the effect is often temporary.
  • Moist heat
  • Ice your shoulder for 20 to 30 minutes two or three times a day to reduce inflammation and ease pain.
  • If you have rheumatoid arthritis, your doctor may prescribe a disease-modifying drug.
  • Dietary supplements,  may help relieve pain.
Shoulder arthritis

Return to a happy active life

Surgical Treatment

Shoulder arthritis, Rotator Cuff tendonitis

Shoulder specialists in Nairobi, Kenya at NSOC may recommend a surgical intervention if non-surgical treatments do not alleviate the pain.Therefore, Each patient will have a unique surgical approach based on  a number factors . For example, arthritis severity, intensity of symptoms and most importantly, patient’s level of shoulder function.

Shoulder arthroscopy

Arthroscopic shoulder surgery can be recommended  in the early stages of the condition.

With this procedure, the inflamed synovial lining is trimmed and pieces of the degenerated cartilage are removed. Arthroscopic treatment prolongs the need for more drastic treatments while relieving pain.

Shoulder joint replacement (arthroplasty)

In more severe arthritis cases, we may recommend arthroplasty, or replacement of the joint. Shoulder replacement replaces the damaged ball with a synthetic surface leading to restored shoulder motion.

The replacement results in reliable relief of pain and in most cases ,significant improvement in range of motion.

Shoulder arthritis
Shoulder arthritis

Replacement surgery options include:

  • Hemiarthroplasty : the head of the humerus is replaced with an artificial component.
  • Total shoulder arthroplasty. Both the head of the humerus and the glenoid are replaced. A plastic “cup” is fitted into the glenoid, and a metal “ball” is attached to the top of the humerus.
  • Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. The metal ball is fixed to the glenoid and the plastic cup is fixed to the upper end of the humerus.

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