Can both shoulders develop shoulder periarthritis at the same time?

Periarthritis of the shoulder, also known as shoulder joint surrounding inflammation, mainly manifests as shoulder pain, stiffness, and restricted movement. Both shoulders may be affected by periarthritis simultaneously.

On one hand, if an individual's shoulder remains in the same state of overuse or maintains poor posture for a prolonged period, the shoulder muscles and soft tissues on both sides are likely to become inflamed and injured simultaneously. For example, engaging in work requiring repetitive arm lifting, or spending long periods looking down at a phone or computer, leading to improper shoulder posture. On the other hand, certain systemic diseases or generalized inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, may also lead to simultaneous involvement of both shoulders.

However, it should be clearly understood that simultaneous involvement of both shoulders is not absolute.

The development of periarthritis of the shoulder is often closely related to an individual's lifestyle habits, such as whether the shoulder undergoes excessive activity or lacks exercise; the impact of the work environment on the shoulder cannot be ignored either, including whether the shoulder experiences long-term uneven stress; age is also an important factor, as with increasing age, degenerative changes in shoulder tissues may increase the risk of developing the condition; additionally, individual physical differences exist, as some people may inherently have relatively weaker shoulder tissues, making them more prone to the disease.