Shoulder painis one of the most common pain complaints among all people.

It affects up to 26% of adults at any given time as a result of many different conditions.

Shoulder pain is not a common symptom of breast cancer.

Woman massaging her stiff neck which may be a sign of breast cancer metastasis

Tinatin1 / Getty Images

When it occurs, shoulder pain can be a symptom ofmetastasis.

This pops up if the breast cancer cells spread from your breast to another site in your body.

Shoulder pain can involve breast cancer that has spread to your bones.

It can also emerge as deferred pain from breast cancer that has spread to yourliver.

Tinatin1 / Getty Images

What Is Shoulder Pain?

Shoulder pain is a general term used to describe pain felt at any part of the shoulder.

The feeling can range from annoying to excruciating.

Shoulder pain can originate in thejoints,muscles,cartilage,tendons, orligaments.

It can also occur as referred pain from another part of the body.

Your shoulder has the greatest range of motion of any joint in your body.

It can make it difficult to perform routine, work-related, and personal care tasks.

In rare cases, shoulder pain can be a symptom of breast cancer.

Breast cancer cells can spread through the blood or lymphatic system.

This is often the case of shoulder pain linked to breast cancer.

While it can be linked to breast cancer, shoulder pain is not a common symptom of the disease.

When this happens, shoulder pain often occurs as a result of metastasis.

This pops up if the breast cancer cells spread from your breast to another site in your body.

While shoulder pain is common, it’s important to avoid dismissing it if it persists.

While a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer can be devastating, there’s reason to be hopeful.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are many potential causes of shoulder pain.

Most shoulder problems occur as a result of tendon inflammation or tears, instability, arthritis, or fracture.

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