Shoulder blade
The familiar flat triangular bone at the back of the shoulder. Known familiarly as the wingbone or, medically, as the scapula.
The word “scapula” (with the accent on the first syllable) is Latin. The Romans always employed the plural “scapulae”, the shoulder blades. Because the shoulder blade resembles the blade of a trowel (a small shovel), the word “scapula” is thought to have come from the Greek “skaptein” meaning “to dig.”
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Inflammation of a bursa of the shoulder. There are two major bursae of the shoulder, which is a common location for bursitis.
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The baby’s shoulder becomes wedged behind the mother’s pubis, sometimes this happens because the baby is too big to fit through the birth canal. Dystocia means difficult delivery.
- Shoulder joint
The flexible ball-and-socket joint formed by the junction of the humerus and the scapula. This joint is cushioned by cartilage that covers the face of the glenoid socket and head of the humerus. The joint is stabilized by a ring of fibrous cartilage (the labrum) around the glenoid socket. Ligaments connect the bones of the […]
- Shoulder pain
Pain in the shoulder due to an injury or disease. The design of the shoulder joint is such that it sacrifices stability for mobility. As an extremely mobile joint that plays a central role in the action of a major extremity (the arm), the shoulder is at high risk for injury. An injury can involve […]
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Permanent severe limitation of the range of motion of the shoulder due to inflammation and subsequent scarring around the shoulder joint (adhesive capsulitis). Frozen shoulder may occur following an injury or immobilization of the shoulder joint, and it occurs more commonly in people with diabetes and certain other health conditions than in the general population.