What Causes Clicking Sensation In The Left Medial Clavicle Of The Shoulders?

Posted on Tue, 29 May 2018

Question: Hello,

I dont know who else to ask and who else who can help me with something i am currently going thru ..

Long story short, i have over done it to a point of extreme joint pain all over body and worked with a physiotherpaist for over 2 months who thankfully fixed 90% of my injuries but one still remains and I need someone to help me identify the ral problem behind it ..

My left medial clavicle seems to click any time my shoulders are protracted .. I have worked on my posture and fixed it with taping and being aware of it and it has been fixed but clavicle clicking doesnt stop .. Any time i protract my shoulders they click without pain just annoying clicking and if i intentionally protract my shoulders as if i want to do a planche they click hard and it hurts !! I have gotten massages done, worked with that therapist (who doesnt seem to know why its clicking), iced it, put creams, and searched every where on the internet for anything tht speaks about fixing such an issue but unfortunately found nothing ..

Any idea what the real problem is? I was on my way to training planche and now i am unable to do ANY move that has my protracting my shoulders .. I am trying to make peace tht it might be a permanent thing and i need to forget about ever planching but i dont want to give up asking professionals if they have a solution .. Any ideas??

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (18 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Many causes. Do get a shoulder MRI

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX

Thanks for the query

I have read your query and understood your problem.

Since you are experiencing painless clicking sounds, it must probably is due to the movement of air bubbles in the joints. This is harmless.

Other causes could be Acromioclavicular joint arthritis, Impingement syndrome, Sternoclavicular arthritis, Scapulothoracic disease, Damaged tendon of long head of biceps etc.

It would be advisable to get an MRI of the affected side shoulder and scapula. This will help narrow down the offending cause.

I hope I have answered your query.

I will be available to answer your follow up queries.

Regards,

Dr.Aashish Raghu

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Aashish Raghu (20 minutes later)

thank u so much for ur prompt reply .. 2 more queries plz if u dont mind .. 1. how can i get rid of thpse air bubbles? 2. why dpes it only click whn my shoulders protract? and regarding MRI, i did an MRI on my neck and have a slight degenerated C4 disc .. my left shoulder and rotator cuffa got injured back in 2015 but iv been fine .. will try to get one done on the areas u said n c what the diagnosis will be ..

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (14 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Air bubbles are normal. Many causes for clicking joints

Detailed Answer:
The air bubbles enter the joint from the blood and this is normal. No need to try to get rid of it.

When the shoulder protractor takes place there could be altered dynamics of the joint motion Wych can be causing this sound like arthritis, tendon or ligament injury, labral injury etc.

Let's have a look at the MRI and then we can be clear

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Aashish Raghu (1 hour later)

ok ill get the MRI done .. just to confirm tht the medial clavicle actually clicks yeah .. i can see it move literally .. thats still bubbles yeah?

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (20 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Sternoclavicular joint laxity

Detailed Answer:
That is a good sign of Sternoclavicular joint laxity.

An MRI can help point out ligament laxity or injury.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Aashish Raghu (3 hours later)

i obviously have subluxation of the medial clavicle .. i did an ultrasound but the dr saw no serious issues with the joint .. i dont want to do an MRI or CT scan just for a dr to confirm the injury .. i know i have an issue with my medial clavicle and like i said it pops with pain with shoulder protraction .. i need a treatment for this .. please help me as i live in saudi arabia and we dont have the best drs hence i cant seem to find any dr nor physiotherapists who can help me with this .. i have been suffering for over 3 months now .. any treatment for this? i want to be able to protract my shoulder without my clavicle popping in and out with pain ..

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Surgery can be done

Detailed Answer:
You need to get it evaluated to find out why the medial Sternoclavicular joint has subluxed. Is it due to trauma, infection, neoplasia etc.

Surgeries are available to fuse the joint if there aren't any sinister causes like infection or tumour.

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D