Why Some Shoulder Pain Is Actually a Neck Problem

Not all pain is reflective of the part of the body sending pain signals. This is due to a common condition called “referred pain,” when an injured part of your body makes another part of your body hurt. This could mean that shoulder pain isn’t actually caused by your shoulder at all.

At Keck Medicine of USC, Orthopaedic Surgery in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, orthopaedic and sports medicine specialist George Hatch, MD, treats all types of shoulder pain, including pain that is being referred into the shoulder from other places, such as the neck. Here are some of the ways you can tell that shoulder pain might actually be referred neck pain.

Neck injuries that cause shoulder pain

There are multiple conditions that can affect your neck, but cause pain to turn up in your shoulder. These include:

Cervical radiculopathy

Cervical radiculopathy is a pinched nerve in the neck that can refer pain, weakness, and tingling down into the shoulder and arm on the corresponding side. A compressed nerve in the cervical spine (neck) is most commonly caused by degenerative changes due to aging, although it can also be caused by an injury such as whiplash.

Fortunately, in most cases treatment for cervical radiculopathy is conservative. Common treatments include rest, physical therapy, steroid injections to reduce inflammation, and wearing a cervical collar to immobilize the neck for a period of time to allow the injury to heal.

A neck strain or sprain

You can easily strain or sprain your neck by sleeping in a poor position or looking downward at a laptop or other screen all day (tech neck). Pain can radiate down into your shoulder, making you think you’ve experienced a shoulder injury.

Rest, alternating cold and heat, and mild antiinflammatory treatments can usually resolve this kind of pain. Adjust your viewing or sleeping habits to reduce undue pressure on your neck and watch your shoulder pain recede.

Cervical spondylosis 

Cervical spondylosis is caused when the discs at the top of your spine degenerate or bone spurs start to form. Narrowing of the spinal canal in the neck area can add pressure on nerves, causing muscle weakness, shoulder cramping, tingling, and numbness extending down the arm to the hands, and lack of coordination.

Treatment for this condition is often managed with oral and injectable medications and physical therapy, but some patients do require surgery to get rid of bony growths, open up the spinal canal, or fuse bones in the neck to alleviate pain and pressure.

Seek help from a professional

Have you been experiencing shoulder pain, but treating your shoulder isn’t helping? You could have referred pain from a neck injury or condition. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Hatch by calling Keck Medicine of USC, Orthopaedic Surgery at 323-442-5860, or booking an appointment online today.