Chronic Shoulder Pain in a Volleyball Player

In brief A high school girl had pain in her right shoulder when she played volleyball. X-rays revealed the cause: diffuse multiple loose calcifications throughout the synovium of the shoulder. The calcifications were removed arthroscopically, and a partial synovectomy of the shoulder joint was performed. The patient's prognosis was considered fair because this disorder can recur; however, it sometimes resolves with no further problems. This disorder-synovial chrondomatosis-is especially rare in young athletes, occurring primarily in middle-aged men, with 60% of cases occurring in the knee.