Painful arc syndrome | Nuffield Health

In most cases repetitive activities or injuries to the area cause inflammation to the tendons or joint surfaces making movement painful

How is painful arc treated?

Your consultant will do a full examination including assessing your range of motion. They may order an x-ray.

Sometimes impingement or small tears get better on their own with the help of anti-inflammatory painkillers and a change in the activity that may have caused them.

A steroid and local anaesthetic injection into your shoulder can sometime reduce pain.

Physiotherapy may help you gain strength and range of motion.

If conservative treatment is not successful your consultant may recommend shoulder surgery.

Related tests and scans

X-ray

An X-ray machine produces images of the inside of the body. It is effective in assessing bones and other dense structures within the body.

Related treatments and procedures

Shoulder Manipulation

Shoulder manipulation is a treatment for frozen shoulder, that consists of stretching and releasing the shoulder capsule.

Shoulder Stabilisation

If you have a dislocated shoulder, this operation repairs the lining of the damaged shoulder joint to make it stable again.

Shoulder surgery (rotator cuff repair)

The rotator cuff is formed of four tendons and the adjacent muscles that attach your arm to the top of your shoulder blade, which gives the shoulder stability and control. Tears to the rotator cuff tendon can occur for many reasons including acute injury, overuse or normal age-related changes.