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Hard, immovable lump on shoulder bone?

Hi,

Yesterday I noticed this hard, immovable, bony lump on my shoulder. There was no pain associated with it, although I have been carrying a 5.5kg bag on this shoulder pretty much everyday for quite a few years until now. The lump is positioned exactly where the Acromioclavicular Joint (ACJ) is. It can be seen when looking in the mirror and comparing left shoulder with right, although it is not something that I would describe as being very big, or even big at this time. However, it is noticeable. I haven't noticed it before, although it is possible that it has been there before. There is no tenderness upon light touch, if I press hard on it, of course it hurts, but it hurts on the other shoulder as well if I do this on the ACJ. It feels as if the lump is part of the bone. Today I carried my bag on my other shoulder, and I found that it's a lot more painful that way. I think the other shoulder (the one without the lump) isn't used to having heavy objects on it.

I am 22 years old. What are the chances this is bone cancer? If it isn't cancer, what could it be? I've looked at pictures online, and it looks almost identical to ACJ separation/dislocation, except that from my research it doesn't seem like heavy bags can cause this... Also ACJ separation/dislocation seems to be associated with pain too. I will be going to the doctor in the next 2-3 weeks (I can't anytime sooner), so please don't advise me to go to the doctor. Thanks!
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547368 tn?1440541785
Hello and Welcome,

I understand your concern - cancer is always in the back of our minds when something comes up that we can't explain.

The fact that you have been lifting makes me think this is related to your lifting and not to cancer. I am far from an expert and by all means your medical provider will have the best answers for you.

I have a hard lump on my clavicle. It's larger than a marble and not painful. I am told it's a calcification from an old injury. My friend has one close to the area that you are describing. He's told it's also from an injury.

I know you haven't had an injury per-say but that lifting could have caused trauma to the area. Sometimes the joint can separate a bit which can appear as a bony prominence.

The AC joint is often prone to  a bony overgrowth called osseous hypertrophy. This is especially true in ppl that do a lot of lifting rather heavy or not.

The best course of action is just what you are doing, consulting a medical provider. We all learn from one another and I hope you'll share with us what you learn. I'll look forward to your updates.

Best of Luck,
~Tuck
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1 Comments
Doctor said bone has naturally grown to be slightly larger on one side - however he is not worried at the moment, unless it starts growing bigger, and suggested no further investigation.
Avatar universal
Hey

This is very difficult to speculate on without diagnosis. It's good that you have a upcoming checkup soon. This is a very unfamiliar occurrence to me. i know for a fact that ACJ dislocation should involved pain. Are you sure that this is on the bone part? You see sometimes muscle grows differently depending on what you use more often. You said that you've been carrying on that particular shoulder a 5.5kg bag on a daily basis. Maybe the muscle had grown more significantly that its opposite because of this.

Again it's very hard to speculate but you shouldn't really worry yourself about bone cancer. You would just aggravate anxiety so it's better to simply just wait for the diagnosis. I'm pretty sure an xray or MRI would show what's wrong and your doctor would tell you what to do.
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