A aching shoulder is the most frequently reported problem by patients at the shoulder surgery clinic. Patients most often describe it as pain localized, among others, in the rear part of the shoulder blade or 1/3 of the proximal humerus near the attachment of the distal ("end") of the deltoid muscle. Characteristic is also the intensification of ailments in everyday activities performed with the hand above the head or during physical work, and the radiation of pain both along the limb and to the neck. The most disturbing symptom should be night pain, awakening from sleep after turning over on the sick shoulder.

The shoulder-scapular joint, also called the shoulder joint, due to its specific anatomical structure, is the joint with the greatest range of motion in our body, and therefore it is burdened with the greatest risk of instability. Instability is often colloquially referred to as "shoulder dislocation", "shoulder prolapse". However, it must be remembered that not every form of instability results in a complete dislocation.

The ring (cone) of the rotator cuff consists of the tendons of 4 muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subcapular, and subscapular), the distal attachment of which on the head of the humerus resembles a cone. The function of this complex is to attract the head of the humerus to the acetabulum and to centralize it, thus preventing the strong deltoid muscle from pulling. This system ensures a smooth range of motion, unparalleled in other joints. In addition, the function of the rotator cuff muscles is, of course, the generation of shoulder rotating forces (external and internal rotation) and a significant contribution to the stabilization of the shoulder joint.

Snapping Scapula Syndrome (SSS) includes pathologies of the bone structures and soft areas of the scapula, which are manifested by pain, audible crackles, or a feeling of jumping the scapula. Symptoms occur when making shoulder movements and raising the arm above the head. The essence of the disease are structural changes in the scapula itself and the muscles lying between the scapula and the back wall of the chest in the so-called scapulo-costal space. The pathologies associated with the crackling scapula syndrome also include inflammation of the surrounding bursitis, the role of which is to facilitate the sliding of the scapula along the back wall of the chest.

The cause of the disease is a disturbance in the biomechanics of the movement of the scapula and tissue overload due to frequent overhead activities. Diagnostics consists mainly in the functional examination of the brachiocapular complex and the analysis of imaging examinations. Treatment of lighter forms of crackling scapulae includes rehabilitation, the main task of which is to improve the biomechanics of the scapula movement. Structural changes causing tissue conflict and the lack of improvement in spite of conservative treatment attempts are an indication for surgical treatment. The procedure can be performed using the classic open method as well as the less invasive arthroscopic method.