What is Causing Your Shoulder Pain? Tendonitis? Bursitis? How to Know

Shoulder tendonitis and bursitis often present as similar symptoms with the shoulder. In many cases, they may be the result of an impingement at the shoulder. Therefore, we will repeat much of what was said in our impingement video.

Symptoms of shoulder tendonitis and bursitis can include:

You may have pain and swelling in the front or side of your painful shoulder.

Pain and weakness occur with reaching forward, to the side, or behind your back with the painful shoulder arm.

Over time the pain and weakness in the shoulder may worsen.

A clicking sound may be heard when raising the painful shoulder arm.

It is difficult to lift objects overhead. The motion may be restricted. Sleeping on the shoulder makes it worse.

Three self-tests you can do. Be careful because an ac joint problem can be like an impingement problem.

Take the hand of your painful shoulder arm and place it on the opposite shoulder.

Lift the elbow as high as it will go. If you experience increased pain or tenderness you may have an impingement.

Painful arc. Sit sideways on a chair (on the painful shoulder arm side) Lean your shoulder blade against the back of the chair to stabilize it. Take your opposite arm, lift the painful shoulder arm, and apply some overpressure at the top. If this produces/creates pain, you may have an impingement.

Extend the painful shoulder arm in front of you. Take the hand of your painful arm and turn your thumb down with the palm facing away. Grab your wrist and pull the arm down to your opposite hip.

You may also feel for tenderness in the subacromial space. See the video and see the photo. Extend your painful shoulder arm back. Slide your fingers on your collarbone toward your shoulder.

Once you reach the side of your shoulder drop below the bone and begin to palpate the soft tissue structures using the tips of your finger. Work your way back toward your chest. Feel for tenderness.

The tendons and bursae are in that subacromial space. Compare to your other shoulder. If your painful shoulder is tender, you may have some bursitis/tendonitis.

You can also apply resistance to your shoulder pain arm as you lift it to the side. Increased pain and weakness could indicate some tendonitis or even a tendon tear.

Check out the full Shoulder Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/shoulder-pain-relief-program