170. Shoulder Pain Isn’t Always Musculoskeletal: Red Flags, Referral Clues, and Quick Screening Questions

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In this PT Snacks episode, we walk through how to tell when “shoulder pain” might not actually be coming from the shoulder—and why that matters for safe, intentional screening in the clinic. We compare classic musculoskeletal patterns (pain tied to motion/loading and reproducible on exam) versus non-mechanical presentations like constant, poorly localized, deep/pressure-like pain that doesn’t change with movement and may come with systemic or autonomic symptoms. Also covered are common non-musculoskeletal sources that can refer to the shoulder—pulmonary/thoracic, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal/hepatic, and malignancy/systemic disease—plus practical questions and quick vitals-based triage you can blend into a normal eval.

00:00 Welcome to PT Snacks
00:15 Why Non MSK Matters
01:52 MSK vs Non MSK Clues
03:56 Pulmonary Referral Patterns
04:54 Cardiac Red Flags
05:51 GI and Hepatic Sources
06:34 Cancer and Systemic Causes
07:27 Triage Questions and Screen
09:12 When to Refer Urgently
10:32 Wrap Up and Resources

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