Highgate Shoulder and Elbow Unit, Highgate

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020 8341 4182

You’ll have access to world-class Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons, Sports & Exercise Medicine Specialists, Chartered Physiotherapists and onsite diagnostic imaging including MRI and CT, with radiology expertise from specialist MSK Radiologists.

Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital is equipped with two state-of-the-art theatres built with laminar flow systems to accommodate Orthopaedic procedures specifically. Our theatre staff are highly skilled in MSK & Orthopaedic operations, and we also have an Orthopaedic Lead Nurse and all nurses are trained to assist with your recovery following Orthopaedic surgery.

Shoulder pain

Your shoulder is made up of three bones:

the collar bone (clavicle)
the shoulder blade (scapula)
the upper arm bone (humerus)

These bones are controlled by several associated muscles and ligaments as well as four major tendons, called the rotator cuff tendons, and shoulder pain can be caused by injury or impairment to any of these bones, ligaments, muscles or tendons.

There are many causes of shoulder pain. It is often brought on by sudden, high-stress movements in sports, or repetitive movements. Shoulder tendons may also tear, having worn down due to ageing and poor circulation in the tendons.

There are many reasons why you might be experiencing shoulder pain, including:

Adhesive capsulitis, also known as frozen shoulder is when a flexible tissue that surrounds the shoulder joint (called a capsule) becomes inflamed and restricts the range of movement in your shoulder
Rotator cuffs can suffer from tears. Tendonitis and bursitis occur when the inflammation of tendons or the fluid-filled bursa sacs happens between the tendons and bones, due to repetitive overuse
Although the shoulder joint is very moveable, shoulder instability can occur when the ball part of the shoulder joint does not move correctly in the socket. This can range from slipping to a full dislocation
The acromioclavicular joint is at the top of the shoulder and the ligaments can suffer from tearing or stretching
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that can affect the shoulder joints
Broken or fractured bones can occur if an injury breaks or fractures the humerus or collarbone.

Elbow pain

The elbow joint is formed by the humerus, radius and ulna. The joint allows for rotation, flexion and extension of the forearm while the muscles surrounding the elbow control movement in our wrist and fingers. Elbow pain is generally a result of overuse, injury or age.

You may be given medication or offered physiotherapy, but if these options do not prove to be successful, you may need to undergo surgery.