Shoulder Arthritis: The 5 Most Common Types

If you’ve ever tried to reach into the back seat of your car, throw a ball, or fasten a bra and your shoulder answered with a sharp “absolutely not,” you might be dealing with more than just a “sleeping wrong” situation. Shoulder arthritis is a common culprit behind nagging shoulder pain, stiffness, and that charming grinding sensation that sounds like someone poured gravel into your joint.

The good news? Understanding what kind of shoulder arthritis you have is the first step toward getting your range of motionand your sleepback. In this guide, we’ll walk through the five most common types of shoulder arthritis, what they feel like, how they’re diagnosed, and the general treatment options doctors use.

We’ll keep things clear, practical, and just light enough that you don’t want to slam your laptop shut in the first paragraph. Let’s start with a quick tour of the shoulder itself.

Shoulder Basics: Why This Joint Is So Vulnerable

Your shoulder is a classic “high mobility, high maintenance” joint. It’s actually made up of several joints and structures that work together:

• Glenohumeral joint – the main ball-and-socket joint between the head of your upper arm bone (humerus) and the shoulder socket (glenoid).
• Acromioclavicular (AC) joint – the joint between your collarbone (clavicle) and the bony tip of the shoulder blade (acromion).
• Rotator cuff – a group of four tendons and muscles that stabilize the ball in the socket and help you lift and rotate your arm.
• Cartilage – smooth tissue covering the bone ends so they glide instead of grind.

When the cartilage wears out, the lining becomes inflamed, or the bones and tendons are damaged, you can end up with shoulder arthritis. Different patterns of damage give rise to different types of arthritis.

What Doctors Mean by “Shoulder Arthritis”

“Arthritis” is not just one disease. It’s an umbrella term for conditions that cause joint pain, inflammation, and damage. In the shoulder, most people with arthritis experience:

• Deep, aching pain in the shoulder (sometimes radiating to the upper arm)
• Stiffness, especially first thing in the morning or after rest
• Decreased range of motiontrouble reaching overhead, behind the back, or across the body
• Grinding, clicking, or catching sensations (called crepitus)
• Worsening pain with activity and sometimes at night

While there are many possible causes, the five types below account for the majority of shoulder arthritis seen in clinics.

The 5 Most Common Types of Shoulder Arthritis

1. Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis (“Wear-and-Tear” Arthritis)

When people say “arthritis” in everyday conversation, they’re usually talking about osteoarthritis (OA). In the shoulder, glenohumeral osteoarthritis affects the main ball-and-socket joint. Over time, the protective cartilage thins and wears away, the bones may develop spurs (osteophytes), and the joint space narrows, leading to pain and loss of function.

Who tends to get it?

• Adults over 50, especially those with a history of heavy shoulder use
• People with prior shoulder injuries or instability
• Individuals with family history of osteoarthritis

Common symptoms

• Deep, aching pain in the back of the shoulder or deep in the joint
• Stiffness when reaching overhead or behind the back
• Grinding or crunching sensations with movement
• Difficulty sleeping on the affected side

How it’s treated

Early on, treatment usually focuses on easing pain and preserving motion:

• Activity modification (avoiding heavy overhead lifting for a while)
• Physical therapy to maintain strength and flexibility
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) if appropriate for you
• Occasional cortisone injections to calm inflammation

When pain is severe and conservative measures no longer help, shoulder replacement surgery (anatomic or reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, depending on rotator cuff status) may be recommended.

2. Acromioclavicular (AC) Joint Arthritis

The AC joint sits at the very top of your shoulder where your collarbone meets the acromion. This little joint does a lot of work stabilizing your shoulder during lifting, pressing, and overhead activitiesespecially if you’re a fan of bench presses, push-ups, or manual labor. All that stress can lead to AC joint osteoarthritis.

How it feels

• Pain right on top of the shoulderoften tender to touch over the joint
• Discomfort with cross-body motions (like reaching across your chest or fastening a seat belt)
• Worsening pain with push-ups, bench press, or lifting heavy objects

Why it happens

• Years of repetitive overhead or heavy lifting (e.g., construction work, weightlifting)
• Past AC joint injuries, including separations and fractures
• Natural age-related wear and tear

Treatment options

Most people start with non-surgical care:

• Rest and avoiding painful motions for a period
• Ice or heat depending on what feels better after activity
• NSAIDs if approved by your clinician
• Physical therapy focusing on shoulder mechanics and surrounding muscle strength
• Corticosteroid injections into the AC joint for short-term relief

If pain remains severe, a surgeon may recommend a small procedure to remove a tiny portion of the end of the collarbone (distal clavicle excision) to prevent bone-on-bone contact at the AC joint.

3. Rheumatoid / Inflammatory Arthritis of the Shoulder

Unlike osteoarthritis, which is mainly wear-and-tear, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. Your immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of your joints, causing inflammation that can damage cartilage, bone, and even the rotator cuff tendons. The shoulder is a frequent target in people with long-standing RA.

Typical features

• Usually affects both shoulders (RA tends to be symmetrical)
• Stiffness first thing in the morning lasting more than 30 minutes
• Deep pain with movement, especially lifting the arm
• Possible grinding sensations as the joint surfaces erode
• Coexisting RA in hands, wrists, knees, or feet

Why it’s different from osteoarthritis

In RA, inflammation can erode bone and thin the rotator cuff tendons, sometimes leading to tears and instability. That’s why RA-related shoulder arthritis can look more severe on imaging even in relatively younger patients, and why systemic treatment is so important.

Treatment approach

Management usually includes:

• Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologics prescribed by a rheumatologist to calm the immune system
• Targeted pain relief and gentle range-of-motion exercises
• Activity modification to avoid flare triggers
• Surgical options, including shoulder replacement, for advanced damage

If you suspect RA, it’s important to see a rheumatologist earlycontrolling systemic inflammation can slow joint destruction and protect your shoulders long term.

4. Post-Traumatic Shoulder Arthritis

Post-traumatic arthritis shows up after a significant shoulder injurythink fractures, dislocations, or major ligament damage. When the joint surfaces are disturbed, even if the bone heals, the cartilage may never be quite the same. Over time, that damaged joint can begin behaving like classic osteoarthritis, just on a faster schedule.

Common causes

• Fractures involving the humeral head or glenoid (socket)
• Recurrent shoulder dislocations
• Severe ligament or soft-tissue injuries that alter joint mechanics
• High-energy trauma from sports, accidents, or falls

What people notice

• Pain that begins months to years after the original injury
• Stiffness and loss of smooth motion
• Grinding, catching, or “clunking” in the joint

Treatment strategies

Post-traumatic arthritis is often managed similarly to osteoarthritisactivity modification, medications, injections, and physical therapy. If the joint is severely damaged or misaligned, surgical options may include realignment procedures, partial resurfacing, or full shoulder replacement depending on age, bone quality, and activity goals.

5. Rotator Cuff Tear Arthropathy

Rotator cuff tear arthropathy combines two problems: a large, long-standing rotator cuff tear and arthritis of the shoulder joint. When the cuff is badly torn, it can no longer hold the ball centered in the socket. The humeral head drifts upward and rubs against the acromion, gradually damaging cartilage and bone.

Key symptoms

• Weakness raising the arm, especially overhead
• Limited active motion (you can’t lift the arm yourself) but better passive motion (someone else can lift it for you)
• Grinding or “clunking” sensations with movement
• Visible changes in shoulder contour in advanced cases

Who is at risk?

• Older adults with untreated or chronic rotator cuff tears
• People with jobs or sports involving repetitive overhead motion
• Patients with inflammatory conditions that weaken tendon tissue

How it’s treated

Mild cases may be managed with pain control, physical therapy, and activity modifications. But when the cuff is irreparable and arthritis is advanced, the go-to surgical procedure is often a reverse shoulder replacement, which shifts the mechanics so other muscles can lift the arm even without a functioning cuff.

How Doctors Diagnose Shoulder Arthritis

Diagnosing the type of shoulder arthritis usually involves a mix of detective work and imaging. A typical evaluation might include:

• Medical history – When did the pain start? Any injuries? Does morning stiffness last a long time? Are other joints involved?
• Physical exam – Checking your range of motion, strength, areas of tenderness, and any grinding or catching.
• X-rays – To look for joint space narrowing, bone spurs, alignment issues, and which joint (glenohumeral vs AC) is involved.
• Advanced imaging – MRI or ultrasound can evaluate the rotator cuff, labrum, and soft tissues if needed.
• Lab tests – Blood tests for rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP antibodies, inflammatory markers, and others if inflammatory arthritis is suspected.

Identifying the exact type matters because treatment is tailored: RA needs immune-modulating medications, while post-traumatic arthritis and rotator cuff tear arthropathy often require structural solutions.

Treatment Options: From Lifestyle Tweaks to Surgery

While the plan is customized to your diagnosis, most treatment strategies for shoulder arthritis fall into several broad categories.

Non-surgical (Conservative) Treatment

• Activity modification – Reducing or reshaping painful activities, like lowering weight loads, limiting overhead work, or adjusting workout routines.
• Physical therapy – Guided exercises to maintain or improve range of motion, strengthen stabilizing muscles, and improve posture and shoulder mechanics.
• Medications – NSAIDs or acetaminophen for pain (if safe for your health conditions), sometimes short courses of other medications as directed by your provider.
• Injections – Corticosteroid injections can provide temporary relief by reducing inflammation. In some cases, viscosupplementation or other injections may be discussed.
• Lifestyle measures – Maintaining a healthy body weight, staying active within your limits, and using heat or ice for symptom relief.

For inflammatory arthritis like RA, disease-modifying medications are essential to control the underlying immune process, not just the pain.

Surgical Treatment

When pain is severe, sleep is wrecked, and daily activities like dressing or grooming become major challenges, surgery may be on the table. Options include:

• Distal clavicle excision – Removing a small part of the collarbone for stubborn AC joint arthritis.
• Arthroscopic procedures – Cleaning out loose fragments, smoothing rough joint surfaces, or addressing associated problems like labral tears in select cases.
• Total shoulder arthroplasty – Replacing the ball and socket with implants in advanced glenohumeral osteoarthritis with a functioning rotator cuff.
• Reverse shoulder arthroplasty – Reversing the ball-and-socket configuration for rotator cuff tear arthropathy or complex arthritis, allowing other muscles to take over lifting.

The choice depends on your age, activity level, bone quality, type and severity of arthritis, and overall health. A shoulder specialist can walk you through pros, cons, risks, and realistic expectations.

When to See a Doctor (and What to Ask)

Shoulder aches come and go, so how do you know it’s time to get checked out?

• Pain lasting more than a few weeks without clear improvement
• Night pain that wakes you up regularly
• Significant loss of motion or strength in the arm
• History of trauma followed by persistent stiffness or grinding
• Other joint pain, morning stiffness, or systemic symptoms (fatigue, low-grade fevers) suggesting inflammatory arthritis

When you do see a clinician, good questions include:

• Which type of shoulder arthritis do I likely have?
• Are there signs of rotator cuff damage?
• What non-surgical treatments should I try first, and for how long?
• At what point would surgery be worth considering for me?
• Are there any activities I should avoidor that you recommend I keep doing?

Real-Life Experiences & Practical Tips for Living With Shoulder Arthritis

Medical definitions are helpful, but day-to-day life with shoulder arthritis is where the real workand the real winshappen. While everyone’s experience is different, certain patterns and strategies show up again and again in people living with shoulder joint pain.

Learning Your “Pain Personality”

Some people notice their shoulder behaves like a grumpy roommate: it’s fine most of the time, but flares up when they overdo it with housework, yard work, or the gym. Others find the pain is more constant but worsens with specific moves, like reaching overhead or across the body.

One helpful habit is to keep a low-key “shoulder diary” for a week or two. Note:

• Activities that clearly trigger pain (e.g., heavy lifting, overhead work, side sleeping)
• What makes it better (heat, ice, light stretching, rest)
• Times of day when it’s worst (early morning, late evening, after work)

You don’t have to write a novelbullet points in your phone are plenty. This gives you and your provider real-world data to tweak your routine and therapy plan.

Micro-Adjustments That Make a Big Difference

Living with shoulder arthritis often means becoming a master of tiny adjustments:

• Reaching strategies: Instead of repeatedly lifting a heavy pan from an overhead cabinet, move frequently used items down to waist or counter height.
• Smart sleeping setups: Some people find relief using a pillow to support the affected arm across the body or hugging a pillow to keep the shoulder in a more neutral, relaxed position.
• “Two-hand rule”: For heavier taskslifting laundry baskets, grocery bags, or boxesuse both hands and keep objects close to your body rather than at arm’s length.
• Breaks, not marathons: Instead of cleaning the whole house in one Saturday, break tasks into smaller chunks and mix lighter activities in between.

These tweaks don’t cure arthritis, but they often reduce the number of “I overdid it” days.

Exercise: Friend, Not Foe

When your shoulder hurts, the natural instinct is to avoid moving it. Unfortunately, long-term “protective” stillness can backfire. Joints like motion, and muscles need regular engagement to stay strong and supportive.

Many people do well with a balanced plan that includes:

• Gentle range-of-motion exercises – small circles, pendulum swings, and therapist-prescribed stretches to prevent stiffness.
• Postural work – strengthening upper back muscles and opening up tight chest muscles to take stress off the front of the shoulder.
• Low-impact cardio – walking, cycling, or elliptical workouts keep you active without pounding the shoulder.

A physical therapist can fine-tune a routine so you’re challenging the joint just enough to build resilience without poking the bear.

The Emotional Side: Frustration Is Normal

Shoulder arthritis doesn’t just affect your bodyit can mess with your mood. Losing the ability to do simple tasks, hobbies, or workouts the way you used to can trigger frustration, anxiety, or even a sense of grief.

Common emotional experiences include:

• Feeling “old before your time” if you’re younger and dealing with post-traumatic or inflammatory arthritis
• Worry about work, caregiving, or family responsibilities you can’t perform as easily
• Annoyance when you have to ask for help with tasks you used to do alone

It can help to reframe progress: instead of focusing only on pain scores, notice wins like “I slept through the night,” “I carried groceries with less pain,” or “I finished my home exercise program three days this week.” Small victories add up and build a sense of control.

Planning for the Long Game

Whether you have osteoarthritis, RA, post-traumatic changes, or rotator cuff tear arthropathy, shoulder arthritis is usually a long-term condition. That sounds gloomy, but it also means you can think strategically:

• Build a care team: A primary care provider, possibly a rheumatologist, and a shoulder specialist, plus a physical therapist when needed.
• Revisit treatment plans: What works this year may need updating in a few years. Techniques and surgeries continue to evolve.
• Stay informed, not obsessed: Learning enough to make good decisions is powerful; doom-scrolling medical articles rarely helps.

Many people with shoulder arthritis continue to work, parent, travel, and enjoy hobbies with thoughtful management. The key is acknowledging the condition, not surrendering to it.

The Bottom Line

Shoulder arthritis is not one single diagnosisit’s a family of conditions that all cause pain and stiffness but for different reasons. The five most common types are:

• Glenohumeral osteoarthritis (classic wear-and-tear of the ball-and-socket joint)
• Acromioclavicular (AC) joint arthritis
• Rheumatoid or inflammatory arthritis of the shoulder
• Post-traumatic shoulder arthritis after significant injury
• Rotator cuff tear arthropathy combining cuff damage and joint degeneration

Getting the right label matters because it shapes the treatment plan, from medications and physical therapy to injections and potential surgery. If shoulder pain is interfering with your life, especially if it’s persistent, waking you at night, or accompanied by weakness or a history of injury, it’s worth a conversation with a healthcare professional.

Your shoulder may not feel 20 years old again, but with accurate diagnosis, smart treatment choices, and a few lifestyle tweaks, it can still help you reach, lift, and live the way you wantjust with a bit more strategy and a lot less grinding.