Painful right shoulder

Introduction to right shoulder pain

People who have pain in the right should for some reason, take this pain less seriously then when they have pain in the other shoulder. This is mostly due to the reason that pain in the left shoulder could mean that a person is having heart problems.

However, all pain needs to be taken seriously and pain is always a sign that there is a problem in the body.

The shoulder is one of the most complex parts of the body and is therefore very vulnerable to a slew of different injuries of the bones, ligaments and muscles, including sprains, tears, strains and inflammations.

Causes of right shoulder pain

Sometimes right shoulder pain can be caused by gallbladder disease, especially, if the pain is felt in the shoulder blade.

The person will feel like they have a knot in their shoulder muscle in such an instance.

It is best to call for immediate medical help when a person feels this kind of shoulder pain affecting the shoulder blade and the radiating out due to gallbladder problems.

When the pain is located under the right shoulder blade it is also a symptom that is associated with a very serious condition known as a liver abscess.

This is a disorder in which bacteria and other puss-filled masses attach themselves to the liver. The liver problems will result in shoulder pain because the liver is located right below the rib cage.

Along with the pain, there are usually symptoms of fever and jaundice in most cases.

Problems with the esophagus, and ulcers in the stomach and pancreas can also lead to pain in the right shoulder. Other conditions that can lead to pain in the right shoulder area include irritation of the diaphragm and viral respiratory infections.

Some women will feel pain in their right shoulders because of breast cancer. When a person has a frozen shoulder it is a usually cause of stiffness and pain the joints of the shoulder. Bone problems and joint pain caused by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and similar conditions can also affect the shoulder.

There are other more common injuries or problems that are not coming from other parts of the body but directly effect the shoulder.

Some of these include bursitis, tendon ruptures of the biceps, labral tears, rotator cuff injuries, a separated shoulder, muscle spasms, strains and sprains, a dislocation of the shoulder and SLAP lesions.

In most cases, the pain being felt in the shoulder is not the result of some more serious disease somewhere else in the body, but rather the result of an injury or strain of the shoulder area and most of these problems can be treated with the RICE formula of rest, ice, compression and elevation.