What can cause pain around the collar bone of your shoulder if the bone is not broken and you have full range of motion?
There are several possible causes of this situation.
“Nagging aches or pains around the collar bone may be caused by osteoarthritis of the acromioclavicular joint, also known as the AC joint; or the sternoclavicular joint, or the SC joint,” says Dr. Mark Galland, orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist and physician at Orthopaedic Specialists of North Carolina.
The acromioclavicular joint is a key joint located where the acromion — a part of the shoulder blade (scapula) — meets the clavicle (collarbone).
It allows the shoulder to move and maintain stability. Movements include raising the arm, reaching overhead and rotating the shoulder.
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by the gradual wearing down of cartilage between bones.
Cartilage is a smooth, flexible tissue that acts as a cushion and provides shock absorption between bones, allowing for smooth and pain-free joint movement.
In osteoarthritis, this cushioning layer deteriorates over time, leading to increased friction between the bones.
As the cartilage thins and wears away, bones may come into direct contact with each other, resulting in pain, swelling and decreased joint flexibility.
The reduction in cartilage reduces the joint’s ability to absorb shocks, which can exacerbate discomfort and contribute to further joint damage.
This condition can impact any joint — including the shoulder.
OA happens commonly to the knees, which is why people get knee replacement surgery.
It also occurs fairly commonly to the hip joint, necessitating hip replacement surgery.
However, shoulder replacement surgery is much less common because conservative treatments have a higher success rate than they do with OA of the knee or hip.
But if the osteoarthritis is bad enough (such as a bone-on-bone situation), and depending on the patient’s condition and medical history, an artificial shoulder joint may be an option.
If you are experiencing shoulder pain that won’t go away, yet you still have a full range of motion, you should make an appointment with a physician whose specialties include the shoulder joint.
Many things can lead to persistent shoulder pain.
If the pain is worse when you move the joint in certain positions, or when you try to lift a weight over your head, this indicates a strong possibility of a musculoskeletal origin that does not involve a wearing down of the cartilage.
The collar bone may or may not be involved when the problem is musculoskeletal in origin.
If the rotator cuff is involved, there will NOT be full range of motion without pain.
