Your shoulder is a complex joint that plays a central role in your body’s movements and has a remarkable range of motion. Approximately 1 in 4 adults experience shoulder pain or issues at any point in time. If you hear a click or pop when you move your shoulder, it can be a mysterious and disconcerting experience. Shoulder clicking without pain can be a common occurrence in the structure’s natural movement. Although it doesn’t have to raise any red flags, it’s important to keep an eye on it in case it does develop into a more concerning matter.
Potential causes of shoulder clicking with no pain
The shoulder has an intricate design, including ligaments, tendons, muscles and bones. Experiencing a clicking sound without pain can be due to:
- Synovial fluid movement — Normal joint movement involves your bones gliding against each other. Synovial fluid is a thick liquid that is located in your joints. This fluid in your shoulder joint can sometimes create a clicking sound when you move your shoulder. This can happen anytime, but it is more likely to happen if your joint is not well lubricated.
- Tendon snapping — Tendons are cords of strong, flexible tissue that connect your muscles to your bones. They can glide over bony structures and produce audible clicks. This can be more common if the surrounding tissue is pliable. Tendon snapping doesn’t usually cause pain.
- Muscle tightness — Muscles can become tight or overused and cause you to change how you move your shoulder. This can cause a clicking sound without pain when you move it in certain ways.
- Loose ligaments — If you have loose ligaments, it will affect the support in your shoulder. This can contribute to increased mobility and clicking sounds.
- Aging — As you age, your joints will have wear and tear that can cause subtle changes in movement. Changes in movement can cause non-painful clicking.
- Old injury — Even if an old injury is healed, it can leave behind subtle changes in how your shoulder moves. These changes can cause clicking without pain.
- Cavitation — Cavitation is the release of gas within a joint. It is caused by a “pop” of a bubble bursting in the synovial fluid when you stretch or move quickly and doesn’t cause pain.
- Bursitis — Bursitis is caused by the inflammation of the bursae, small fluid-filled sacs that help cushion joints to reduce friction during movement. Bursitis can be experienced without having pain and cause a clicking noise.
When you should be concerned about shoulder clicking with no pain
While painless shoulder clicking doesn’t have to be concerning, if anything changes, some situations need to be checked out by a health care professional:
- Pain or swelling — If your discomfort changes to pain or you start to have swelling in your shoulder, this can be a sign that you have inflammation, an injury or instability.
- Limited range of motion — if you lose range of motion, even if you aren’t having pain, you could be dealing with an underlying issue that needs to be assessed.
- Persistent clicking — If the clicking sticks around or becomes excessively loud, you should consult a health care professional to check your shoulder out.
Treatment options that can help shoulder clicking with no pain
Issues causing your shoulder clicking can respond well to conservative treatments, including:
- Rest and activity modification — Rest is important to give your body time to heal. Change movements to reduce stress on your shoulder and avoid activities that make it worse.
- Physical therapy — Physical therapy can be a beneficial treatment approach. A skilled physical therapist can help determine the underlying cause of your shoulder clicking and create a customized treatment plan to address your unique situation.
- Cold or heat therapy — Applying a cold pack or heating pad to the affected area can help reduce inflammation and promote relaxation.
Physical therapy techniques for shoulder clicking with no pain
Physical therapy techniques that can help alleviate issues causing shoulder clicking without pain include:
- Manual therapy — Manual therapy techniques like soft tissue mobilization and joint mobilization can help address shoulder issues. Soft tissue mobilization uses kneading and stretching, which can help with muscle tightness and tension, boost circulation, and improve tissue flexibility. Joint mobilization aims to help improve the mobility of the joint. Your physical therapist will use controlled, gentle movements to move your shoulder to help restore normal function, reduce stiffness and improve your overall range of motion.
- Therapeutic exercises — Targeted exercises will work the tendons, muscles and ligaments in your shoulder. These exercises are intended to help boost flexibility, joint mobility and stability. They can help reduce the likelihood of you experiencing clicking or discomfort during movement.
- Graston Technique® — If an old injury is behind your clicking, your physical therapist may use the Graston Technique to detect and treat soft tissue restrictions, scar tissue or adhesions in your muscles. After finding the issues, they can help break down adhesions, improve tissue mobility, and improve the overall health of the soft tissue in and around your shoulder.
- Trigger point therapy — Trigger point therapy can help find and release specific muscular knots. Your physical therapist will apply manual pressure in specific locations to help release these trigger points. This can help release muscle tension and promote muscle relaxation. It can help relieve discomfort, improve flexibility and reduce muscular imbalances or tightness that may be behind your shoulder clicking.
Experience expert care at Panther Physical Therapy for your shoulder clicking without pain
At Panther Physical Therapy, we specialize in providing our patients with tailored solutions for their unique situations. Our expert physical therapists will do a full evaluation of your shoulder to uncover the underlying reason you are experiencing shoulder clicking without pain. After they find the issue, they will create a customized plan of evidence-based techniques that will focus on helping your specific needs. We are committed to helping you on your journey to regain your comfort and shoulder mobility with a treatment plan that aligns with your goals.
Call us or request an appointment today to take the first step to better shoulder health.