Impingement Syndrome

Impingement Syndrome – this condition is a common source of shoulder pain in young to middle age patients who use their upper extremities frequently for overhead activities, manual labor, repetitive activities, or sports.

Mild instability of the shoulder, abnormal bone anatomy, weakness of the rotator cuff muscles, or AC joint arthritis can be associated. Impingement syndrome is a spectrum of shoulder pain ranging from bursitis tendonitis partial rotator cuff tears full thickness rotator cuff tears as it progresses from early stages to late stages.Signs/symptoms include pain with overhead activity, weakness of the shoulder, night pain.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the stage of the impingement but generally is nonsurgical or conservative initially including steroid injections, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles, and modification of activities that cause pain.

Surgery

Surgical treatment is reserved for failure of conservative treatment and includes arthroscopic decompression and rotator cuff repair if necessary.