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Limitations in the range of movement of the joint result in challenges in your daily functional activities
Limitations in the range of movement of the joint result in challenges in your daily functional activities

What causes calcific shoulder tendonitis?

The shoulder joint offer a wide variety of movements. These movements allow you to reach out for objects overhead, close your zip at the back of your dress or even scratch your back.

Limitations in the range of movement of the joint result in challenges in your daily functional activities.

One of the conditions which restrict functional movement in the shoulder joint is calcific shoulder tendonitis. 

The condition occurs as a result of calcium deposits in the tough cords of the muscles around the shoulder joint. These calcium deposits sometimes develop without any cause and may or may not disappear without treatment. 

The build-up of these deposits may cause irritations and increase the pressure in the shoulder joint.

Some individuals with this condition may or may not experience pain within the shoulder joint with limitation in shoulder movement. 

Some individuals may describe the pain as mild or severe with swelling on the front aspect of the shoulder joint. 

Attempts to move your arm usually increases the pain in the joint which still continues despite considerable periods of rest. 

The shoulder joint

There are several muscles around the shoulder joint and the tough cords of each of these muscles connect to your arm bone. The tough cords permit fluid movement to occur during the execution of daily tasks involving the arm.

There are instances where the calcium deposits develop in a  tough cord of a muscle more than in the other cords and these may be reabsorbed.  

However, in some individuals, these deposits remain in the cords for a prolonged period of time causing pain in the shoulder joint.

Risk factors 

The cause of the calcium deposits or build-up in the tough cords is not known and is usually found in individuals above the age of 40 years. 

These deposits are small in size and may also develop in women more than in men. 

The condition may also take many years to resolve in some individuals, while in others, the deposits are reabsorbed and disappear from the tough cords.

The calcium deposits in the tough cords often decrease the available space around the shoulder joint hence affecting the movement of the joint, especially whenever you lift your arm upwards. 

Some individuals may have both shoulder joints affected by this condition while others may have only one joint being affected.

Symptoms/signs

There is an association between experiencing pain and the development of the calcium deposits in the tough cords. This may be mild but some individuals may experience no pain at all. 

An individual may also complain of increase in pain whenever he/she moves the arm outwards and upwards as compared to forward movements.

You may also experience pain even without moving your arm when your arm is supported – in lying or sitting. An individual may feel pain when he/she lies on the affected shoulder. The pain may be described by some individuals as particularly extreme and prevents any kind of functional movements. 

It may also be severe at night and interfere with sleep. Other individuals may describe the pain in the shoulder joint as sharp and stabbing in the initial stages.

You may also experience pain around the upper aspect of your arm which may run down into the hand and a tingling sensation may be felt in the hand in some individuals. There may be a degree of stiffness and weakness in the joint and the affected arm. 

Diagnosis

The medical history of the individual is obtained as well as undergoing a physical examination including ascertaining the range of available movement in the shoulder joint with other symptoms. 

Investigations such as X-rays and ultrasound may be conducted to rule out other conditions and to confirm the diagnosis. 

The investigations usually show the size and site of the calcium deposits in the tough cords which are visible around the shoulder joint.

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