What are the signs and symptoms of glenohumeral arthritis?
Pain from bone-on-bone rubbing within the joint is the most common symptom of glenohumeral arthritis • At first the pain may come and go, but it tends to increase with time, usually over several years. • Movement usually adds to the discomfort. • The pain is commonly present at night, and interferes with sleep. • There may or may not be pain at rest. Loss of motion is another common symptom. Possible causes of motion loss include: • Osteophytes that block joint motion • Constriction of the joint capsule due to chronic inflammation, pain, and disuse • Fractures or previous surgeries that may have changed joint structure and interfered with motion • Weakness of the supporting muscles following a rotator cuff tear Other symptoms may be: • Atrophy (wasting away) of shoulder muscles due to disuse • Swelling in the shoulder due to inflammation • Crepitus (clicking or crunching sound) during shoulder motion • Tenderness with palpation (touch) affecting the entire shoulder region or specific a
