Patient Info - Shoulder

The Shoulder Joint Complex

The shoulder joint complex is made up of four different joints, these are the:

• Glenohumeral (shoulder) joint
• Acromio-clavicular (AC) joint
• Sterno-clavicular (SC) joint
• Scapulo-thoracic joint

The glenohumeral (shoulder) joint is the most mobile joint in your body. It is a ball and socket joint made up of the humerus and the scapula. The AC joint connects your scapula to your clavicle (collar bone). The SC joint connects your clavicle to your sternum (breastbone), and is the joint that directly connects your upper limb to your body. The scapulo-thoracic joint is the joint between your scapula and your rib-cage. Although this is not a true joint, the motion between your scapula and rib-cage is very important in maintaining normal shoulder function. 

Due to the mobility in the shoulder complex, this region is vulnerable to injury and relies heavily on muscular support to maintain posture and pain free motion. Many different injuries can occur in the shoulder region - the most common ones are outlined in more detail below.