Shoulder osteoarthritis (omarthrosis) - specialists and information

Leading Medicine Guide Editors
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Leading Medicine Guide Editors

Shoulder osteoarthritis is wear and tear in the shoulder joint. Osteoarthritis in the shoulder can severely restrict those affected in their everyday life: lifting the arm hurts and some movements are no longer possible. Read below to find out how shoulder osteoarthritis develops, how to recognize it and what treatment options are available. You can also find selected specialists for shoulder osteoarthritis here.

ICD codes for this diseases: M19.01, M19.11, M19.21, M19.81, M19.91

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Brief overview:

  • What is shoulder osteoarthritis? It is a wear and tear of the joint cartilage, which causes the joint bones to rub against each other and thus cause severe pain.
  • Symptoms: Pain in the shoulder, limited mobility of the arms, crunching in the shoulder joint, possibly also swelling.
  • Causes: Minor damage to the cartilage is usually the cause. Excessive strain, poor posture, circulatory disorders or inflammation can also contribute to the condition.
  • Diagnosis: After a medical consultation and physical examination, the doctor may order an X-ray, ultrasound or MRI to get an accurate picture.
  • Conservative treatment: Medication, physiotherapy, physical therapy and behavioral changes are the focus of treatment.
  • Surgical treatment: If conservative treatment cannot bring about an improvement, an operation can be performed to remove inflammation and remove any injuries. In severe cases, a shoulder prosthesis is necessary.
  • Prognosis: The disease cannot be cured; destroyed cartilage cannot regenerate. However, the progression of the disease can be halted. The earlier treatment begins, the better.

Article overview

What is shoulder osteoarthritis?

The term osteoarthritis refers to wear and tear of the cartilage and bones in various joints. Shoulder osteoarthritis or omarthrosis is when one or both shoulders are affected.

Symptoms of shoulder osteoarthritis

In each joint, the bones are protected by cartilage tissue. The cartilage also ensures that the joint is "lubricated" and that movement - in the truest sense of the word - is possible without friction. If the cartilage layer wears excessively, it can no longer fulfill its important functions: The bones rub against each other. This is painful and causes inflammation in the joint.

Typical symptoms of shoulder osteoarthritis are

  • Pain in the shoulder
  • Restricted mobility of the arms
  • audible and palpable crunching in the shoulder joint
  • Possible swelling of the joint

At first, the pain mainly occurs after exertion or when lying on the shoulder. As the condition progresses, however, the shoulder can also be constantly painful at rest.

Schulterschmerzen
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Shoulder osteoarthritis starts slowly and progresses over time. This can lead to regular episodes: For a while, the shoulder causes no problems, but after overloading or even without recognizable causes, pain and movement restrictions suddenly increase.

Causes of shoulder osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is usually preceded by minor damage to the cartilage or tendons. This can be caused by an injury, but also by excessive strain or incorrect posture. Circulatory disorders or inflammation in the shoulder area can also contribute to the development of osteoarthritis. In rare cases, shoulder osteoarthritis can also develop without a recognizable cause.

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Diagnosis of shoulder osteoarthritis

If there is pain in the shoulder and osteoarthritis is suspected, the first step is to talk to your doctor. For example, he will ask about the patient's medical history, any injuries and similar cases in the family. Information about the patient's lifestyle can also provide important clues. During a physical examination, the doctor will also look at the range of motion of the shoulder and palpate it.

If the suspicion is confirmed, an X-ray will show more precisely what the joint looks like. An MRI scan is often useful as a supplement. During this examination, images of individual layers of the joint are taken in a "tube". Sometimes the doctor also performs an ultrasound examination or examines the blood for signs of bacterial inflammation. All of these examinations provide an accurate picture of the condition of the shoulder joint and the surrounding tissue. An arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure for precise diagnosis and simultaneous surgical treatment, the video shows the procedure:

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Conservative treatment options for shoulder osteoarthritis

As with many diseases, the same applies to shoulder osteoarthritis: the earlier it is treated, the better the possible treatment results. If the wear and tear is not yet too advanced, it can be treated conservatively, i.e. without surgery.

Various methods can be used for this:

  • Medication against the pain and inflammation in the joint stops the acute restrictions and further destruction of the tissue.
  • Physiotherapeutic (physiotherapy) exercises strengthen the shoulder and improve poor posture. They also ensure that the muscles and tendons do not stiffen.
  • Behavioral changes in everyday life ensure that the shoulder does not continue to be incorrectly loaded.
  • Physical therapy uses heat, cold or electrical stimuli to relieve pain and promote healing.
  • Sometimes infiltration treatments with cortisone, hyalorone or the patient's own plasma (PRP) can provide long-term relief from the symptoms

Possible operations for shoulder osteoarthritis

If joint wear in the shoulder can no longer be adequately treated with conservative methods, various operations can be considered as part of shoulder surgery. The doctor removes areas of inflammation in the shoulder or repairs possible injuries.

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If these methods are no longer sufficient, a shoulder prosthesis, i.e. an artificial shoulder joint, can be inserted.

Prognosis for shoulder osteoarthritis

Cartilage wear in joints cannot be completely cured. However, various methods can be used to halt the progression and alleviate the pain. Conservative or surgical treatment significantly improves the patient's quality of life, the pain is reduced or disappears completely and mobility can be improved or completely restored.

How good the prognosis is depends very much on the individual case. In general, the earlier treatment begins, the better the results. So don't wait too long and consult an expert as soon as possible if you have symptoms!

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