Your shoulder joint is the most complicated in your body and it allows the greatest flexibility of movement. Calcific tendonitis is a condition of the shoulder joint and can seriously restrict movement of the shoulder and arm.

Although it is a basic ball and socket joint, the shoulder is a confusion of muscles, tendons and ligaments. These hold together the bones, connect the muscles to the bones they control and combine to allow great movement in various directions. The whole impressive set up is called the rotor cuff.

When calcium deposits collect on the tendons in the rotor cuff, they can gradually become a source of irritation and pain. They act like broken pieces of glass and inflame the tendons connecting the muscles to the bone. The result is that power cannot be comfortably transmitted from the muscle to the bone, along the tendon. Movement becomes painful and restricted or impossible.

The exact cause of this condition is not known. It does seem to affect people over 40 more than others and is more prevalent in people with diabetes. It is quite common for calcium to deposit on both rotor cuffs at the same time, which is particularly disruptive. The pain caused can spread to a wide area of the shoulder and back and may interrupt sleep.

There may be a connection with repeated injury or strain on the tendons since the first stage of the condition is a thinning of tendon fibres and a change in them to more like cartilage. They are then ready to receive calcium deposits which are produced from the calcium in the blood. The final stage of the condition usually involves the calcium being reabsorbed into the body.

It is not known why the deposits come or go but should you be experiencing this type of pain then Orthopedic assistance should be sought.