Bone spurs are bony growths that can develop from joint degeneration or repetitive stress, where your body responds to stress by growing extra bone.
Bone spurs are common in people over 60, 50% of older adults will develop bone spurs including in the shoulder.
Let’s look at what causes bone spurs, how they affect your life and what treatment options are available to help you manage pain.
Key Takeaways
- Shoulder bone spurs are related to osteoarthritis and repetitive stress.
- Non surgical treatments such as physical therapy and cortisone injections can help with pain and mobility.
- Making lifestyle changes such as being at a healthy weight and avoiding overhead activities can help prevent bone spurs and joint health.
What are Shoulder Bone Spurs?
Shoulder bone spurs are those bony growths that form on your shoulder bones, irritating surrounding tissues.
They usually form at joint intersections such as the acromion or where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade. They can affect your daily life and quality of life.
As we age the likelihood of developing these spurs increases because joint tissues breakdown over time.
Arthritis and tendonitis are contributing factors. In fact osteoarthritis is a leading cause of bone spurs and makes them worse.
These bony growths can develop from chronic degenerative diseases, physical injuries or cumulative stress of repetitive movements.
Causes of Shoulder Bone Spurs
There are several reasons why shoulder bone spurs develop. Inflammation from injuries or tendonitis is the main cause.
Repeated activities such as heavy lifting can also stress joints and cause them to develop.
Here’s what you need to know about the causes:
- Inflammation: Injuries or tendonitis can cause inflammation and bone spur formation.
- Repetitive Activities: Heavy lifting or repetitive movements can stress your joints and cause spurs to develop.
- Degenerative Arthritis: Osteoarthritis is a big contributor to bone spur formation.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: This inflammatory joint condition can also cause bone spurs.
- Physical Damage: Injuries to shoulder ligaments or cartilage deterioration can cause your body to grow extra bone.
Symptoms of Shoulder Bone Spurs
75% of patients with shoulder bone spurs will experience pain, stiffness or reduced range of motion, especially with overhead activities. Shoulder bone spurs are common and can bring:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Limited mobility
- Sometimes a lump near the shoulder joint
Bone spurs are often asymptomatic at first but can become painful as they grow especially when they compress nerves or tendons.
This can make everyday activities like reaching for objects or getting dressed excruciatingly painful.
Other symptoms can be soreness, tingling, numbness, tenderness, weakness, swelling and even tearing of tendons or ligaments.
Pain can radiate to your shoulder, back, arm and neck. Remember these bony growths don’t cause pain unless they impinge on surrounding tissues.
Symptoms can vary in severity and can affect different parts of your body.
Diagnosing Shoulder Bone Spurs
A physical exam is usually the first step in diagnosing shoulder bone spurs. Medical professionals will check your shoulder bones for spurs and look for signs of joint instability and related problems which may show up as pain and limited mobility.
For a more accurate diagnosis imaging tests like X-rays and MRIs come into play. Ultrasound can also be helpful.
Non-Surgical Treatments for Shoulder Bone Spurs
When it comes to treating shoulder bone spurs non-surgical options focus on reducing pain and inflammation and preventing future injuries.
Common methods are physical therapy, medications and corticosteroid injections.
Rest and avoiding activities that irritate your shoulder can also help in recovery.
Physical Therapy
A systematic review in Physical Therapy Reviews says 60-80% of patients get better with physical therapy and corticosteroid injections. Customized exercise programs can help reduce pain and increase mobility, focusing on muscle strengthening and flexibility.
Medications
Non-surgical options also include over the counter medications. These anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce swelling and pain and give relief to those with shoulder bone spurs.
Corticosteroid Injections
Corticosteroid injections can give temporary relief from pain and reduce inflammation in the shoulder joint and improve mobility. But remember these are not a permanent solution.
Take Note: You shouldn’t use any medications without consulting your doctor or having a prescription. I strongly recommend getting your doctor’s advice first.
Minimally Invasive Procedures
Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive option for bone spurs. By trimming or removing these growths the procedure relieves pressure on the structures inside your shoulder and minimizes damage to surrounding tissues and speeds up recovery.
This can be done under regional or general anesthesia and you can go home the same day.
The less invasive nature of this procedure means you can recover faster and smoother after addressing your shoulder bone spurs.
Surgical Options
In severe cases surgery may be necessary. Two common procedures are subacromial decompression and shoulder arthroplasty. Subacromial decompression removes bone spurs and excess ligament tissue to relieve pain, shoulder arthroplasty is for more severe damage.
The goal of surgery is to relieve pressure on rotator cuff tendons and nerves. Open surgery is considered last resort when other treatments fail.
Most patients can get back to normal arm function and improve their quality of life after surgery but recovery may require no lifting the operated arm for some time.
Lifestyle Changes and Prevention
Being overweight can add stress to your joints so maintaining a healthy weight can reduce that stress and potentially prevent bone spur formation.
Shoulder impingement syndrome can cause pain and limited arm movement especially when lifting overhead. It’s important to differentiate it from bone spurs since they have similar symptoms but are different conditions.
Avoiding overhead activities can prevent shoulder bone spurs. Good posture can reduce pressure on your shoulder joints and minimize the risk of spur formation.
Resting your shoulder and making lifestyle changes can help in healing and maybe even absorb bone spurs.
Final Thoughts
Shoulder bone spurs are a pain but knowing their causes, symptoms and treatment options can help you manage and prevent them.
We’ve covered the common causes like degenerative arthritis and injuries and symptoms like pain and limited range of motion.
