Shoulder swelling

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Shoulder swelling

It is normal to have some swelling and bruising after an injury. Home treatment can often help reduce swelling.

Swelling or bruising with redness and pain may have other causes, such as:

• Inflammation of the sac of fluid that cushions and lubricates the joint area between one bone and another bone, a tendon, or the skin (bursitis).
• Inflammation of the tough, ropelike fibers that connect muscles to bones (tendinitis).
• Injuries to the tough, ropelike fibers (ligaments) that connect bone to bone and help stabilize the shoulder joints (sprains).
• Broken bone (fracture).
• Damage to one or more of the four tendons that cover the shoulder joint (torn rotator cuff).
• Separation of the shoulder, which occurs when the outer end of the collarbone (clavicle) separates from the end (acromion) of the shoulder blade because of torn ligaments. This injury occurs most often from a blow to a shoulder or a fall onto a shoulder or outstretched hand or arm.
• Pulling or pushing bones out of their normal relationship to the other bones that make up the shoulder joint (dislocation or subluxation).
• Infection in the skin, joint, or bone.
• Swelling of the joint lining (synovitis), such as from rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or lupus.

Treatment depends on the cause of the swelling. If swelling does not get better or go away with home treatment, your injury may not be healing normally, may be worse than you suspected, or may be caused by another medical problem.

Credits

Last updated:	October 14, 2005
Author:	Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Richard Holtby, MD, BS, FRCSC - Orthopedic Surgery
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer