What are the symptoms of shoulder impingement?
The initial one is pain—aching and gradual (acute and tearing suggest instead a rotator cuff tear), centered
around the anterior-superior-lateral aspect of the shoulder, and occasionally referred to the deltoid region. Pain interferes with sleep (especially when the patient rolls onto the affected shoulder) and is exacerbated by lateral or anterior raising of the arm and by forward flexion and internal rotation of the humerus (as if trying to reach into a back pocket). Pain worsens with time, and the joint may become stiff, causing “catching” sensations upon lowering of the arm. Weakness and inability to raise the arm suggest instead
a rotator cuff tear.
The initial one is pain—aching and gradual (acute and tearing suggest instead a rotator cuff tear), centered
around the anterior-superior-lateral aspect of the shoulder, and occasionally referred to the deltoid region. Pain interferes with sleep (especially when the patient rolls onto the affected shoulder) and is exacerbated by lateral or anterior raising of the arm and by forward flexion and internal rotation of the humerus (as if trying to reach into a back pocket). Pain worsens with time, and the joint may become stiff, causing “catching” sensations upon lowering of the arm. Weakness and inability to raise the arm suggest instead
a rotator cuff tear.