What it is
Pain may be felt at the shoulder even when its source is the neck, a peripheral nerve, the heart, lungs or abdominal organs. The symptom pattern and associated signs determine the need for referral.
Typical clinical symptoms
- Pain with numbness, tingling or weakness spreading from the neck into the arm
- Symptoms changing more with neck than shoulder movement
- Shoulder pain with chest pressure, sweating, nausea or breathing difficulty — an emergency
- Pain unrelated to movement, persistent pain or systemic symptoms require medical assessment
Video
No video has been added for this condition yet.
Scientific literature
External publications selected for this topic. Their scope may cover a specific condition, population or intervention within this topic; they do not constitute an individual treatment plan.
Shoulder
When is medical assessment needed?
Deformity after trauma, sudden inability to raise the arm, loss of sensation or pulse, a hot red shoulder with fever, or pain with chest pressure or breathing difficulty require prompt medical assessment.
Descriptions are for orientation. Diagnosis follows history, clinical examination and, only when indicated, imaging or laboratory tests.
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