Shoulder pain is a common complaint, especially as patients age. There are numerous potential causes of shoulder pain. These include: soft tissue inflammation around the shoulder, such as bursitis or tendinitis; shoulder arthritis, where there has been irreversible damage to the cartilage within the shoulder joint itself; tears of the rotator “cuff” (the four tendons around the shoulder that allow movement of the ball and socket joint); tears of the glenoid labrum (the cartilage rim of the shoulder joint). Occasionally, shoulder pain will present as what is known as “referred” pain–this means that although the mind senses that the shoulder is hurting, the actual cause of the shoulder pain is not the shoulder itself. “Referred pain” can come from a pinched nerve in the cervical spine or neck area. Dr. Davis routinely sees and evaluates patients with shoulder pain to initially help them locate the source or cause of the pain and then develop a treatment plan to address the shoulder problem and thereby alleviate the pain.