From scratching your back to painting or playing sports, your shoulders let you move further, and in more ways, than almost any other joint in your body. At the same time, however, this flexibility makes the shoulders more unstable and more likely to get injured, especially from sports, physical work, or accidents. Shoulder arthritis and inflammation from wear and tear are also common, over time.

Shoulder injuries can be very painful and can make it hard to move and go about your daily life activities. Some injuries are only painful with movement, while others are constantly painful.

The shoulder is a joint with 3 bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. The bones are:

• Collarbone (clavicle).
• Shoulder blade (scapula).
• Upper arm bone (humerus).

The upper arm bone fits into the shoulder blade, like a ball and socket. But because the ball of the upper arm is larger than the socket in the shoulder blade, it’s not stable.

Muscles, tendons, and ligaments hold the shoulder in place and keep it stable:

• Muscles are tissues that help your shoulder move and helps support your body.
• Tendons are tough but flexible cords of tissue that connect muscle to bone.
• Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect bones or cartilage. They support and strengthen joints

Cartilage is the tough but flexible tissue that covers the ends of your bones at the shoulder joint. It helps the shoulder move smoothly and cushions and protects it.

Finding the treatment that’s right for your shoulder problem is our focus at The Orthopedic Health Center. We use non-surgical treatments whenever possible. When you do need surgery, our expert surgeons help you heal faster and with less pain. All right in your neighborhood: Hoboken, New Jersey.