Is More Scrutiny and Integration Needed? Narrative Overview of Shoulder Osteoarthritis Research as Applied to Older Adults: 1950-2025

Osteoarthritis, a chronic health condition induces high degrees of disability and health costs in all parts of the globe and is presumably very limiting and disabling if the disease manifests at the shoulder joint despite advanced surgical joint replacement and remedial procedures. In this overview, what has been observed in this regard is documented using the PUBMED data base and encompasses a growing body of data extending from very limited reports in 1950 to more than 4800 articles in 2025 where shoulder osteoarthritis works are posted. Adversely impacted, especially in the face of shoulder muscle atrophy, both excess body fat plus the encroachment of excess fatty tissue into vulnerable or injured muscles or tendons it appears only modest progress has been made and most modes of intervention in 2025 focus on surgery rather than non-surgical modes of intervention to mitigate dysfunction, or joint damage. In this regard, we found that with few exceptions and regardless of article examined a possible role for increasing age, inaccurate health beliefs, shoulder muscle fat mass infiltration alongside muscle pain and atrophy may have a strong bearing on shoulder osteoarthritis disability, as may genetics, demographic, cognitions, and occupational factors, thus a multipronged long term tailored approach to care including a plan to prevent shoulder injury, foster innate healing in the face of perpetual reversibility challenges, and education is likely to be worth contemplating.