Medical imaging such as X-rays, MRIs, Ultrasound, and others can be a great tool when worried about a medical emergency or planning for surgery. Unfortunately, outside of this, they often do more harm than good.

The shoulder (glenohumeral) joint is the third most common joint for arthritis, with the knee and hip being one and two, respectively.

Like many parts of the body, non- neuro-muscular-skeletal conditions can refer pain to the shoulder. These include heart, liver, stomach, pancreas, Pancoast’s tumor and spleen.

If your shoulder pain is in the region between the neck and the shoulder, between or around the shoulder blades or you have both neck and shoulder pain, odds are the neck is involved. 

Frozen shoulder, or Adhesive Capsulitis, refers to an inflammatory condition that causes fibrosis of the shoulder joint capsule and is accompanied by a gradual progression of stiffness and loss of range of motion at predictable time frames.

The idea of physical therapy helping with a torn muscle may seem very counterintuitive. However, research has failed to show surgery as a superior intervention than physical therapy and has significantly more risks. 

We can make a very educated guess on the cause of your shoulder pain based entirely on your age.