Skeletal pathologies take first place in terms of their prevalence. If the shoulder crunches, is accompanied by pain, limitation of limb mobility, then this condition may indicate a degenerative pathology. This problem is faced by patients of various age categories, however, the risk of pathology increases in older people.
Development mechanism
The shoulder joint is a whole mechanism, all parts of which move during limb movement. During this process, the patient may hear a click or other sounds. If the shoulder crunches, then this condition does not always indicate the development of pathology. Here it is necessary to pay attention to additional symptoms.
Inside the joint there is a synovial bag filled with fluid. As soon as the hand experiences a load, pressure rises in it. As a result of this process, air bubbles appear inside the joint, as a result of which the shoulder crunches. In most cases, this condition is not pathological and does not cause a person discomfort. However, degenerative diseases can cause such a symptom. Also, the sound when moving often indicates a rapid wear of the joint.
If the joints of the shoulders crackle and their mobility is disturbed, you must immediately undergo an examination to establish the cause of this condition and begin treatment. In this case, the pain in the joint can be periodic or constant.
Reasons for the appearance
If the shoulder crunches, then this condition can cause such reasons:
- Violation of metabolic processes in the body (musculoskeletal system in particular).
- Inflammatory processes in the joint.
- Excessive physical exertion.
- Chronic pathology, deforming nature: arthrosis, rheumatism, shoulder-shoulder periarthritis.
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Infectious pathologies in the body or joint.
- Bruised shoulder when falling.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Inflammation of the joint bag or tendons.
- Joint neoplasm (rare cause).
- Damage to the muscles of the shoulder joint.
- Shoulder instability.
- Improper nutrition.
- Salt deposits.
A pathological dislocation of the shoulder can provoke a symptom (ICD code 10 - S43.0).
Additional symptoms
In addition to crunching in the shoulder, a person may experience other manifestations:
- Increase in general or local temperature.
- Permanent pain syndrome, which periodically increases.
- Swelling of the joint.
- Redness of the skin around the affected area.
- Stiffness of movements.
If the crunch has pathological causes, then the shoulder joint hurts, and the intensity can be different. There is discomfort at night and day.
Diagnostics
If the shoulder crunches during rotation, it is necessary to undergo an examination, which includes:
- Visual inspection, medical history, as well as fixation of patient complaints.
- CT and MRI. These studies are able to give a complete picture of the pathological condition. The degree of destruction of cartilage and bone tissue is determined. In the pictures, you can also find damaged or pinched nerve endings, blood vessels.
- Roentgenography. In the picture, you can see the displacement of bones due to trauma, the growth of osteophytes.
- Ultrasound of the joint. Thanks to such a study, a specialist can determine the condition of an intraarticular capsule, soft tissues. Ultrasound will also show bone deformation.
- Arthrography. Minimally invasive arthroscopic examination. During this diagnosis, treatment or tissue sampling can be performed for subsequent analysis.
- Laboratory diagnosis of blood, as well as intraarticular fluid. In this way, you can determine the cause of the crunch.
- Scintigraphy. Such a study is an x-ray using a contrast agent.
In case of shoulder dislocation, the ICD 10 code is already known; consultation of an orthopedist, traumatologist and surgeon is needed.
What is the danger of crunching?
If the patient does not contact the specialists on time, and the pain syndrome is ignored for a long time, then the pathology can give such complications:
- Too high mobility of the shoulder syndrome.
- Chronic pain syndrome, which will periodically worsen.
- Disruption of blood circulation in the joint.
- Damage to the nervous system.
If the shoulder joint hurts and this symptom is caused by a degenerative disease, then the absence of treatment will lead to disability of the patient.
Drug therapy
If the patient has a pathological crunch in the shoulder, treatment should be started immediately. It provides for the use of such drugs:
- Painkillers: Nise.
- NSAIDs: Diclofenac, Ibuprofen. They eliminate all manifestations of the inflammatory process.
- Chondroprotectors: Arthra, Chondroitin. Their use will protect the cartilage tissue from destruction, but they must be taken for a long time.
- Vitamin complexes.
- Hormonal drugs.
- Antioxidants: Mexidol.
- Muscle relaxants: Sirdalud.
If the pain syndrome is too strong, then the patient will need intra-articular injections of Diprospan. They should be done by a specialist in a hospital.
Physiotherapeutic procedures
Physiotherapeutic procedures will help to improve the effectiveness of conservative treatment. Among them, the most useful are:
- UHF
- Massage.
- Mud treatment.
- Reflexology.
- Laser treatment.
- Manual therapy.
These procedures are carried out in stationary conditions. In addition, a person needs to review his diet. It must be complete, but balanced. Alcohol is completely excluded from the menu.
To improve the condition of joints, it is necessary to eat fish and meat of nonfat varieties, products containing a large amount of vitamin B. It is better to cook dishes with vegetable oil, and remove animal fats from the diet. To improve the functionality of cartilage, gelatin is included in the menu: jellied meat, jelly.
Physiotherapy
Exercises for arthrosis of the shoulder joint will help to restore mobility of the limb faster, reduce the manifestations of pain, and also improve the general condition of the patient. Physical activity stimulates the circulation of synovial fluid, which feeds the joint. Exercise should be postponed if the patient has high blood pressure, there is an acute pain syndrome or a change in body temperature.
Any gymnastics complexes are prescribed by a rehabilitation doctor. To restore the function of the shoulder, you need to strain and relax the muscles in it, make rotational movements of the wrist joints, bend and unbend your fingers, limb in the elbow. Over time, exercises can be complicated. Sitting on a chair, the patient is recommended to raise and lower the affected limbs, to spread his arms, bent at the elbows, to the sides.
All exercises require a preliminary warm-up. Perform them carefully. If the patient feels discomfort or pain, it is better to stop gymnastics. The intensity and frequency of repetition of movements increase gradually. It is important to do physiotherapy exercises regularly, and not to stop its implementation even after the inflammatory process is eliminated.
Folk recipes
Uncomplicated forms of pathology can be treated at home. However, for the use of folk remedies requires prior consultation with a doctor. In addition, you need to use decoctions and infusions in combination with traditional methods of therapy. Such recipes will be useful:
- Ice. In the presence of edema and pain, it is possible to improve the condition of a person if you move a piece of ice clockwise for 15 minutes along a sore spot. The procedure is repeated twice a day. It takes about 6 sessions.
- Egg. You need to beat 2 proteins, then combine the gruel with 1 tbsp. vodka. The resulting product is applied to the shoulder. The compress is removed after 20 minutes. The course of therapy is 1 week.
- Gelatin. Soak a bag of powder with a glass of cold water. When the gelatin has dissolved, you need to drink it. This should be done on an empty stomach once a day. The course of use of the drug is 10 days. After this, you need to take a 10 day break, and then repeat the therapy.
- A decoction of bay leaves. It takes 30 g of raw materials to boil in 0.3 l of water for 5 minutes. The fire should be weak. To insist funds require 30 minutes. The entire volume of the drug should be drunk in a day in small sips. After this, you should take a break for 7 days.
Folk recipes are not a panacea, but they can significantly improve the result of conservative therapy.
Surgical intervention
If traditional therapy does not give a positive effect, and there is also a risk of developing irreversible changes in the joints, then a person is prescribed a surgical operation. Depending on the severity of the pathology and the causes of its occurrence, different types of intervention can be performed. With minor changes, minimally invasive surgery is performed using an arthroscope. It allows you to eliminate excess fluid from the joint cavity, rinse it with drugs from the inside. All manipulations are done under video surveillance.
More complicated is the procedure for the removal of dead tissue. If there is a risk of patient disability, then a periarticular osteotomy is prescribed. It involves excision of a small volume of bone tissue to restore normal mobility in the joint.
In the most severe case, a person is offered prosthetics of a destroyed joint. Any type of operation involves a rehabilitation period. The less the joint is destroyed, the faster it will go.
Pathological Crunch Prevention
To maintain the functionality of the shoulder joints for many years, it is necessary to observe the following preventive measures:
- Reduce physical activity on the arm.
- Do not forget about warm-up and gymnastics before training or with a sedentary lifestyle.
- Follow the principles of a balanced diet.
- To refuse from bad habits.
- Avoid situations in which the shoulder may be injured.
- Keep track of body weight.
- Take vitamin preparations.
- If there is a need for hard physical work, then you need to use belts or orthopedic bandages.
- Avoid hypothermia.
A crunch in the shoulder does not always indicate pathology. More often it is a physiological condition that does not cause harm to health. But if there is pain or other signs of an inflammatory process, then you should not self-medicate. It is better to see a doctor.