Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Shoulder Injuries and Disorders
Your shoulder joint is composed of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone). Your shoulders are the most movable joints in your body. They can also be unstable because the ball of the upper arm is larger than the shoulder socket that holds it. To remain in a stable or normal position, the shoulder must be anchored by muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Because your shoulder can be unstable, it can be easily injured. Common problems include:
- Sprains and strains
- Dislocations
- Separations
- Tendinitis
- Bursitis
- Torn rotator cuffs
- Frozen shoulder
- Fractures (broken bones)
- Arthritis
Health care providers diagnose shoulder problems by using your medical history, a physical exam, and imaging tests.
Often, the first treatment for shoulder problems is RICE. This stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Other treatments include exercise and medicines to reduce pain and swelling. If those don't work, you may need surgery.
It sits within Bones, Joints and Muscles and Injuries and Wounds.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Shoulder Injuries and Disorders
686 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Effects of Rotator Cuff Drills Versus Progressive Resistance Exercises on Chronic Rotator Cuff TendinopathyRiphah International University
- Shoulder Health After Rehabilitation and Performance TrainingSwiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil
- Does Capsuloplasty Reduce External Rotation After Coracoid Impingement?Clinique du Sport, Bordeaux Mérignac
- Clinical and Economic Evaluation of Point-of-care Ultrasound-guided Infiltration for Subacromial and Carpal Tunnel Syndromes in Primary Care: a Cluster-randomized Study Protocol.Fundacio d'Investigacio en Atencio Primaria Jordi Gol i Gurina
- OsseoFit Stemless Shoulder System (Anatomic)Zimmer Biomet
- MDR - Comprehensive Primary Revision Stems PMCFZimmer Biomet
Research already completed
- Randomized Study of an Analgesic Device Enabling Local Anesthetic Delivery and Neuromodulation After Shoulder/Foot SurgeryUniversity of California, San Diego
- TRANSLATION, ADAPTATION, VALIDATION AND RELIABILITY OF ARABIC VERSION OF KERLAN-JOBE ORTHOPAEDIC CLINIC SHOULDER AND ELBOW SCORE IN EGYPTIAN SYMPTOMATIC OVERHEAD ATHLETESZiad Mohamed Mohamed Abdalla Haroun
- Percussion Massage Therapy and IASTM in Subacromial Impingement SyndromeEmre DANSUK
- Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and Graded Motor ImageryNuray Alaca
- Effect of Therapeutic Ultrasound Combined With Exercise on Subacromial Impingement SyndromeUniversity of Sao Paulo General Hospital
- The Effects of Dynamic Taping With Exercise on Neuromuscular Control in Individuals With Subacromial ImpingementNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Shoulder Pain and Common Shoulder ProblemsAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Shoulder Pain: Causes and TreatmentAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- Shoulder Problems (Symptom Checker)American Academy of Family Physicians
Diagnosis and Tests
- Direct ArthrographyRadiological Society of North America
- Musculoskeletal MRIRadiological Society of North America
- Musculoskeletal UltrasoundRadiological Society of North America
- Shoulder MRIRadiological Society of North America
Treatments and Therapies
- Cortisone ShotsMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Rehabilitation ExercisesAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Shoulder ArthroscopyAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Shoulder Joint ReplacementAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Related Issues
- Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD)Muscular Dystrophy Association
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Shoulder DislocationNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Shoulder FracturesNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Shoulder InjuriesNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Shoulder Injuries, Acromioclavicular Joint, Shoulder Fractures. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Shoulder Injuries and Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.