Management of Shoulder Pain in Primary Care

Observations

Shoulder pain arises from benign, self-limiting soft-tissue disorders or rare but serious causes. In primary care, most cases are nontraumatic and involve periarticular soft tissues. The subacromial region is the most frequent source of pain, and the term subacromial pain is preferred over overlapping and inconsistently defined labels such as rotator cuff tendinopathy or tear , impingement syndrome , or subacromial bursitis . Less commonly, pain originates from the glenohumeral joint, as in glenohumeral osteoarthritis or adhesive capsulitis. Assessment should focus on a detailed history and physical examination to assess pain patterns and movement limitation and to exclude serious causes, such as infection, malignant neoplasm, or nonshoulder referred pain. Once these are excluded, first-line treatment is similar for most patients and aligns with recommended care for other regional musculoskeletal concerns: education about the favorable natural history, symptom relief and activity modification if needed, and watchful waiting. Early imaging is not indicated in the absence of significant trauma or suspicious features, such as fever, unexplained weight loss, or history of malignant neoplasm, as structural abnormalities often do not correlate with symptoms, rarely alter management, and may lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Specialist referral should be reserved for suspected serious pathology, such as infection, malignant neoplasm, fracture, or dislocation; significant functional or neurologic deficit; features suggestive of systemic inflammatory disease; or persistent or worsening pain and debility. High-certainty evidence indicates that subacromial pain does not benefit from surgical intervention.