“What could be the cause of my shoulder pain?”

There could be a couple common reasons, but I would not know for sure without doing a complete history and exam. Some common reasons my include: old injuries, repetitive motion, poor posture, proper lifting, and even stress is a common reason.

The shoulder is a complex structure made up of multiple bones, ligaments, and muscles. They all work together to form the shoulder complex and any disruption of the normal motion of the complex can cause pain to occur. Short of a traumatic injury (sports, fall, other impact), usually it is a soft tissue disorder like ligament or tendon/muscle injury. The most common will be rotator cuff strain or biceps strain. I would suggest a good orthopedic evaluation to determine the cause of the pain. Typically, orthopedists do not do these tests and rely on X-ray or MRI which are good, but don't paint a full picture. Everyone at the age of 49 will have some "not so young" look to their shoulders and other joints. I suggest a sports/orthopedic chiropractor because we are trained in actual functional evaluation of the shoulder complex. This helps us determine an accurate diagnosis and the need for any imaging if necessary. If you are averse to visiting someone for evaluation, you can always try the Throwers 10 exercises online. These are the exercises for throwing athletes and are a pretty complete group of shoulder exercises to be done. Again, evaluation will be better for you first to determine cause.
Good luck.

There are so many causes for your shoulder pain that it would be ridiculous to surmise or diagnose without a detailed history and examination. I would need to know the onset, is the pain radiating, is it related to an activity, a movement, pressure, certain position. Is it constant or intermittent? Is it a dull pain or sharp and shooting? Did it just appear suddenly or was it progressive? All these questions and more need to be assessed before deciding on a cause. 

Dr. Steven I. Brown

An exam and X-rays are needed to find the cause.

The shoulder can be one of the most problematic joints on our body. The only way to know why you have pain is to get an examination from a professional. I recommend seeing a Sports Chiropractor, Orthopedist, or Doctor of Physical Therapy.