Shoulder Problems in the Elderly

Shoulder disorders, typically characterized by pain and diminished range of motion, is a common source of musculoskeletal pain in the elderly. Degenerative changes predominate in the elderly shoulder. Like younger patients rotator cuff and bicipital tendon disorders are common. Unlike younger patients elderly patients are more likely to suffer from shoulder pain as a consequence of a frozen shoulder, polymyalgia rheumatica, degenerative arthritis, referred pain—especially from visceral sources, and hemiplegic shoulder pain. The usefulness of high technological diagnostic tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is very questionable in the elderly because it rarely influences management, which is invariably conservative in the elderly.