Does your shoulder click or pop? It’s a common experience, but sometimes that clicking comes with pain or discomfort.
This article provides an overview of shoulder clicking with pain, discussing the causes, and when it’s time to seek professional treatment. We’ll look at situations where it’s harmless, and when it might signal a bigger problem.
If you’re experiencing persistent or painful shoulder issues, it’s important to seek medical advice from a healthcare professional to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
Anatomy of the Shoulder Joint
To understand what might be causing that clicking in your shoulder, it helps to know a little about how the shoulder joint works.
The Glenohumeral Joint
Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint. The “ball,” which is the top of your upper arm bone or humerus, fits into a shallow “socket” in your shoulder blade, called the glenoid fossa.
Four rotator cuff muscles and their tendons surround the joint, stabilizing it and allowing you to lift and rotate your arm. These muscles are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.
The Labrum
The glenoid fossa is ringed with a wedge of fibrocartilage called the labrum. The labrum deepens the socket, allowing the head of the humerus to fit more snugly and providing more stability to the joint. Tears to the labrum, such as Bankart and SLAP tears, can cause pain and clicking.
The Bursa
Bursae (plural of bursa) are fluid-filled sacs that sit between your bones, tendons, and muscles. They allow those parts to glide smoothly over one another.
If one of those bursae becomes inflamed (bursitis), it can cause pain and clicking in the shoulder.
Common Causes of Shoulder Clicking and Pain
That clicking, popping, or grinding in your shoulder, especially if it’s accompanied by pain, can be a signal that something’s not quite right. Here are a few common culprits:
Joint Cavitation
Think of cavitation as the formation of tiny air bubbles in the synovial fluid inside your shoulder joint. This is usually harmless and is often the cause of painless popping sounds.
Tendon or Ligament Movement
Sometimes, a tendon or ligament will snap over a bony part of your shoulder, creating a clicking or popping sensation. Often, this is painless. However, if the tendon is inflamed, it can definitely cause pain.
Bursitis
Bursitis is inflammation of the bursa, a fluid-filled sac that cushions your joints. Symptoms include pain, swelling, and tenderness around the shoulder. Scapulothoracic bursitis is a specific type that affects the area between your shoulder blade (scapula) and your rib cage.
Labral Tears
The labrum is a ring of cartilage that stabilizes your shoulder joint. Tears in the labrum can cause clicking, popping, and pain. There are different types of labral tears, including SLAP (Superior Labrum Anterior to Posterior) and Bankart tears. These often require rest, medication, physical therapy, or even surgery to repair.
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Tears in the rotator cuff tendons, or tendinitis (inflammation of the tendons), can also lead to clicking and pain in your shoulder. Other symptoms include weakness, pain with overhead activities, and pain that worsens at night.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear type of arthritis, can cause grating or grinding noises in the shoulder joint. You might also experience pain, stiffness, and a decreased range of motion.
Osteochondroma
An osteochondroma is a benign (non-cancerous) bone tumor that can cause clicking and pain if it interferes with the normal movement of the shoulder joint.
Bone Fractures
A broken bone in the shoulder area can certainly cause clicking and pain, especially after a traumatic injury like a fall or car accident. If you suspect a fracture, seek immediate medical attention.
When to see a doctor
It’s important to distinguish between harmless shoulder noises and those that signal a problem. A pop or click in your shoulder isn’t always cause for concern, but some symptoms should prompt a visit to your doctor.
See a medical professional if you experience:
- Persistent pain
- Swelling
- Limited range of motion
- Weakness
- Instability
- Clicking, popping, or grinding accompanied by pain or discomfort
Early diagnosis and treatment are important to prevent complications like frozen shoulder, which can significantly impact your mobility and quality of life. You should also seek immediate medical attention if the popping or clicking follows an accident or injury.
Treatment Options for Shoulder Clicking and Pain
If your shoulder is clicking and painful, a number of treatment options are available. Let’s take a closer look.
Conservative Treatment
Typically, the first line of treatment is conservative, including:
- Rest and activity modification: avoiding the activities that make the pain worse
- Ice or cold compresses: to reduce swelling
- Over-the-counter pain relievers: such as ibuprofen or naproxen
- Physical therapy: to strengthen the muscles around the shoulder joint, improve posture, and increase range of motion
Medical Treatments
If conservative treatments aren’t enough, your doctor may recommend medical treatments like:
- Corticosteroid injections: to reduce inflammation in the shoulder joint
- Surgery: for severe problems like labral tears, rotator cuff tears, or osteoarthritis. Arthroscopic surgery is often an option.
The Importance of Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is often a key part of shoulder rehabilitation and injury prevention. A physical therapist can teach you exercises to strengthen the muscles around your shoulder joint, improve your posture, and increase your range of motion. A physical therapist may also use techniques like manual therapy, joint mobilization, soft tissue massage, or myofascial release to help relieve your pain and improve your shoulder function.
Preventing shoulder pops and injuries
The best way to deal with a clicking, popping shoulder is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Here are some tips to keep your shoulders healthy and strong:
- Maintain good posture: Good posture keeps your shoulders aligned and prevents unnecessary strain.
- Exercise regularly: Strengthening your shoulder muscles and maintaining joint mobility helps stabilize the joint.
- Practice moderation: Avoid overdoing activities that stress your shoulder joint.
- Listen to your body: Take breaks when you need them, and don’t push through pain.
- Stretch: Improve your flexibility and range of motion with regular stretching exercises.
In Closing
While a clicking shoulder is often nothing to worry about, when it’s accompanied by pain, it’s time to pay attention. Understanding the anatomy of the shoulder, as well as the possible causes of that clicking sound, is the first step toward finding relief.
Getting a diagnosis and starting treatment early can help you avoid more serious problems down the road.
If you have persistent or painful shoulder issues, it’s important to get professional medical advice. Prioritizing your shoulder health through preventive measures and appropriate treatment is always a worthwhile investment.