The Pain of the Shoulder Joint and Posterolateral Area of Upper Arm

Kang, Yeong Seon; Song, Chan Woo

Abstract

Localized or radiating pain in the arm and shoulder joint may result after faulty alignment causing compression or tension on nerves, blood vessels, or supporting soft tissues. The critical site of faulty alignment is the quadrangular space in the axilla bounded by the teres major, teres minor, long head of triceps, and humerus. The axillary nerve emerges through this space to supply the deltoid and teres minor. The activity of the trigger point on teres minor compressing the axillary nerve causes pain to develop through the area of sensory distribution of cutaneous branch of the axillary nerve. Relieving compression on the axillary nerve and suprascapular nerve is the key point to relieving the pain. Spasm of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus compressing the suprascapular nerve caused pain to develop in the shoulder joint and scapular area. We treated those patients experiencing such pain with local anesthetic infiltration or I-R laser stimulation on the identified trigger points.