Crepitus - non-painful clicking, popping, crackling in shoulder.

[angieliu]

hi ang..

do you mean that your bad shoulder clicks more than your good shoulder?

i think all joints click, but def. my injured shoulder clicks more often. my physio said that the clicking may go or they may stay.

kj, did you find that after shoulde surgery that your affected shoulder clicked more than usual?

thx

Hi hopeful,

My bad shoulder clicks more than my good shoulder when I do certain movements like lifting my arms up and also out to the side.

A

[jellybean]

Hi Hopeful,

I think you?re right with the all joints clicking bit, but it does seem that injury increases the clicking.

I have clicking (and occasional bigger ?clunks? and ?grinds?) in both shoulders (I?ve injured both but have only ever sought treatment for one for various reasons). The clicking in my right shoulder (the one I've had diagnosed/treated - rotator cuff tear amongst other things) is like yours - not painful, just annoying. It definitely improved (less clicking) as I got further into rehab (just conservative - lots of rotator cuff ex?s plus mobilisation by physio, no surgery) but hasn?t gone away completely and is worse with certain activities, e.g., reaching above my shoulder/head and away from my body). My physio also told me that it would reduce over time but probably wouldn?t go away completely. He was right.

Until fairly recently, the clicking in my left shoulder (I injured that in 2000) was not painful and again mostly occurred with overhead activities. However, recently it?s started occurring more frequently and has become painful. (I?ve also woken up recently feeling like the shoulder was trying to dislocate - definitely painful!). If it doesn?t settle down again soon I will get it looked at (very busy at work and a bit over being on the medical treadmill).

In terms of reduction in clicking after surgery ? 'can?t comment on shoulders but can on knees. Prior to my last knee ?scope (had two last year) I had a lot of clicking that was not painful, just annoying. For 4 weeks after the scope (meniscus trim, chondroplasty and removal of loose bodies) I had no clicking, but it returned again after 4 weeks. The use of an unloader knee brace (my knee is slightly malaligned) changed the little clicks to more occasional, big clunks ? not painful. As long as it?s not painful, I?m thinking that that is just something that has to be tolerated.

As to what causes the clicking ??? Maybe someone with a medical background can shed some light?

Cheers,

JB

P.S. Given Martin Rafferty works with the ARU and shoulder injuries are pretty common in rugby union, you?d expect that he?d be pretty good in providing advice about shoulder injuries.

[angieliu]

I'd be interested in finding out what the causes of clicking. To me it sounds like the muscle is grinding over the bone but you know from what I read there could be lots of reasons for the clunking sound.

On the weekend I didn't do my shoulder stabilisation exercises because I was flat out and because I didn't do them, yesterday when I was teaching, every movement I made which involved putting my arms up or to the side there was a loud clunk. A little disconcerning though, it hasn't clunked so much in a long while. I guess that will teach me for not doing my exercises on the weekend.

[the_chariot]

hi hoperful,
when u rotate ur shoulder, do you feel some clicking, crackling and popping? cause both of my shoulder feel the same way to, and im also seeking some advise, i think i have this almost a year..