Shoulder

The rotator cuff is made of 4 muscles, any of these can become injured and so can the tendons connecting them causing shoulder pain. They can be injured by sudden impact or through progressive repetitive loading. 

Shoulder instability is the result of ligament damage. This can occur after a subluxation or dislocation, o after repetitive over stretching. It can also be the result of hypermobility. 

During a shoulder impingement something within the joint interrupts the smooth travel of the joint. This usually results in a portion of the movement becoming painful known as a painful arc, once out of this range movement is pain free and normal. often pain from this presents over the shoulder or down in to the upper arm sometimes referred to as a captains armband as the pain presents in the area of the arm the sports captain might wear their armband. 

The labarum sits around the outside of the shoulder joint, it is mostly easily pictured as an elastic ring to deepen the cup of the ball and socket joint in order to keep the shoulder more stable. This ring is made of a highly fibrous tissue which can become torn if it gets caught. once torn the labarum is very slow to heal, in some cases strengthening around the shoulder is sufficient to reduce the pain, but it may need surgery to fix. 

As some of the nerves pass from the neck down in to the arm they cross the shoulder, because of the structure here there are areas where the nerves can become irritated causing pins and needles, numbness or tingling in to the arm and hand. 

The bicep tendon is a common culprit for pain in the shoulder. Tendinopathies come from overload. They will usually feel better once you start moving or doing an activity but may feel worse again after. when treating a tendon it is important to gradually increase the load. 

The AC joint sits in the front and top of the shoulder. It is most sensitive to movements across the body or to pressure applied to the area.