Quick answer: an occasional click in the shoulder is usually harmless, but a clicking or catching sensation that comes with pain, especially when lifting the arm overhead, is often linked to how the shoulder blade is moving, and it’s worth getting properly assessed rather than ignored.

Why this matters

A clicking or catching shoulder that gets ignored often doesn’t just stay the same, the compensation patterns behind it can gradually place more strain elsewhere, making the underlying weakness harder to unpick the longer it’s left. Getting it assessed while it’s still just a click, rather than after it’s become properly painful or restricted, is usually the quicker and easier fix.

Why shoulders click or catch when lifting

The shoulder is a complex joint that relies on several muscles working in the right sequence, particularly around the shoulder blade. When that sequencing goes off, often from posture, overuse or muscle imbalance, tendons or soft tissue can catch or rub, producing a clicking or catching sensation as the arm moves overhead.

Shoulder blade control is often the missing piece

Aaran, Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at our Hendon NW4 clinic, sees this pattern often: the serratus anterior, a muscle that controls how the shoulder blade moves, doing less work than it should, leaving the shoulder joint to compensate. We’ve written in more depth about why shoulder pain keeps coming back and how serratus anterior strength helps, including the specific exercises Aaran uses. This clicking or catching sensation is often an earlier stage of the same underlying pattern, before it develops into the more persistent pain covered in that article.

“A physiotherapy assessment identifies the underlying cause and builds a targeted plan, rather than just waiting to see if it settles.” — Aaran, Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, BOOST PHYSIO Hendon

When clicking is a sign to get it checked

A click with no pain is rarely a concern. But clicking accompanied by pain, weakness, a catching sensation that stops movement, or symptoms that are getting worse rather than better, are all reasons to book an assessment rather than wait it out. If the discomfort is settling more broadly across the neck and shoulder rather than in one specific spot, our guide on neck and shoulder pain from desk work may also be relevant.

Our approach: every tool for your best recovery

At BOOST PHYSIO, we believe your best recovery comes from having every tool available, not relying on just one. That’s why our physiotherapists combine hands-on manual therapy with targeted exercise rehabilitation, tailored specifically to you and adjusted as you progress. We’ve seen first-hand, time and again, that patients get the best and most lasting results when both are used together. It’s the thinking behind our promise: Your Best Recovery, Guaranteed.

At BOOST PHYSIO Hendon, we offer:

  • ✓  Same day physiotherapy appointments, 8am to 9pm
  • ✓  Male and female clinicians
  • ✓  Treatment recognised by BUPA, AXA and WPA

Book your assessment online now, call 020 8201 7788 or WhatsApp us.

Frequently asked questions about clicking shoulder pain


An occasional, painless click is common and usually not a concern. Clicking that comes with pain, weakness or a catching sensation is more significant and worth assessing.

Often it relates to how the shoulder blade and rotator cuff muscles are working together. When control around the shoulder blade is reduced, tendons or soft tissue can catch as the arm moves, particularly overhead.

In many cases, yes, particularly when the cause relates to muscle control and movement patterns rather than structural joint damage. A physiotherapy assessment identifies the underlying cause and builds a targeted plan.

Not necessarily, but it’s worth avoiding movements that reproduce pain until assessed. Continuing to load a shoulder that clicks painfully can sometimes make symptoms worse.

Yes, same day private physiotherapy appointments are available at BOOST PHYSIO Hendon from 8am to 9pm.

Written with Aaran, Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at BOOST PHYSIO Hendon, and the BOOST PHYSIO team. This article is general guidance and is not a substitute for an individual physiotherapy assessment.