Director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health A novel study states that people with increased risk for cardiovascular diseases are more likely to experience shoulder troubles including rotator cuff injury and pain in joints.

Facing Shoulder Discomfort? It May Be Indicating Risk Of Heart Disease

Individuals who experience shoulder discomforts like pain in joints or soreness may blame the physical stress factors they are facing in their daily lives, but there could be an underlying cause for the ailment. Latest study states that they could be at an elevated risk of heart diseases.

"If someone has rotator cuff problems, it could be a sign that there is something else going on. They may need to manage risk factors for heart disease," said lead author Kurt Hegmann, Director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health and a Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine.

More Heart Disease Risk Factors Can Lead To More Shoulder Trouble

Hegmann and his group at the University of Utah School of Medicine conducted a study to find the association between shoulder troubles including rotator cuff problems, joint pain, and elevated risk for heart diseases.

For the purpose of the study, the researchers analyzed the prevalence of shoulder trouble in participants that had heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes

It was observed in the study that 36 participants, who had the most severe set of heart disease risk factors, were 4.6 times at higher risk of having shoulder joint pain than the participants who had no risk factors. The probability of these high risk individuals to have had rotator cuff tendinopathy, a second shoulder condition, was about six times higher. Participants with moderate heart disease risk factors were less prone to shoulder conditions by around 1.5 to 3-times.

Since physical strain likely appeared to contribute to shoulder pain, the researchers also studied the data involving 1,226 skilled laborers. It was found that there isn't any link between the shoulder trouble and physical strain.

The researchers involved laborers like cabinet makers, airbag manufacturers, and meat processors for the study. A strain index was assigned to each participant and every vigorous move carried out by the individual, like push, pull, and twist was noted in it. A more stressful job or physical work carried out for longer duration didn't seem to have contributed to shoulder troubles.

According to the researchers, the more cardiovascular disease risk factors a participant displayed, the more likely he was to suffer from shoulder problems.

Controlling Heart Disease Risk Factors Can Ease Shoulder Trouble

Hegmann, also the Director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health noted that heart disease risk factors could be playing a major role in shoulder problems in participants opposed to the job factors causing physical stress. He even stated that controlling blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors too can ease the shoulder discomfort.

The research was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.