The Shoulder

Shoulder Girdle

Osteoarthritis of the sternoclavicular joint

Symptoms

This is a common disorder, mainly occurring in postmenopausal women.

The lesion is characterized by a visible swelling, which is usually painless.
The elevation of the arm is limited, resulting from the impaired mobility of the shoulder girdle.
Examination of the shoulder girdle shows almost painless limitation of all movements.

X-ray findings are: narrowing of the joint space, subchondral sclerosis, hyperostose and cysts on both sides of the joint.
Because most of the wear occurs in the inferior part of the head of the medial clavicle, most of the degenerative changes occur in that region.
There may also be some discrete calcification of the ligaments.

Treatment

Uncomplicated osteoarthritis of the sternoclavicular joint does not require any treatment. If there is pain, a local infiltration with triamcinolone usually gives good results, but the patient is warned that overuse will always have to be avoided, otherwise pain will recur.

Preliminary Examination / Interpretation / Pathology of Shoulder Girdle / Sternoclavicular Lesions