Health ConditionsSkin Conditions

What’s Causing the Lump on My Shoulder?

What’s Causing the Lump on My Shoulder?
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Updated on January 30, 2025
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Lumps in the shoulder area are not uncommon. While most are harmless, some can be a sign of a more serious health issue brewing beneath the skin.

“If you notice any new lump on your shoulder, you should have it checked out by a medical professional,” says Chris G. Adigun, MD, a board-certified dermatologist with the Dermatology & Laser Center of Chapel Hill in North Carolina. “If it’s growing, painful, red, or hot — these are some warning signs that it could be something serious.”

With the advice of a medical professional, you can have a better understanding of what is causing an abnormal protrusion and then get the best treatment, potentially heading off any life-threatening condition before it’s gone too far.

Shoulder Lipomas

Lipomas are benign fatty tumors commonly found around the shoulders (including the neck, back, and arms) as well as the thighs and torso.

These round or oval overgrowths of fat cells lie just beneath the surface of the skin. They move easily when you press them, and they’re soft and rubbery to the touch.

These lumps are slow growing, noncancerous, and usually not painful. People who find them bothersome, however, may have them removed through a small medical procedure. A lab should always analyze the tissue to confirm that it is benign.

Men are slightly more likely than women to get lipomas. They can appear at any age but are more common in adults between ages of 40 and 70.

The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology estimates that 1 to 2 percent of the population will develop these soft-tissue tumors at some point in their lives. Several rare syndromes are associated with a genetic predisposition to lipomas, including Cowden syndrome, Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, and Proteus syndrome.

Fatty tumors are malignant in very few instances. Typically, these cancerous liposarcomas are found deep inside connective tissue that surrounds and holds muscles in place (muscular fascia).

Shoulder Cysts

A cyst is a closed pocket under the skin filled with some type of fluid or other material. There are a few different kinds.

Epidermoid Cysts

These are one of the most common types of small, noncancerous bumps that grow under the skin. Typically, they are filled with keratin, a protein that makes up the majority of dead skin cells. They can appear on the shoulders as well as the face, neck and trunk.

 Epidermoid cysts may appear because of a clogged hair follicle, or be caused by severe acne, for example.

These bumps are usually harmless, but they can become inflamed or infected if not treated properly. A dermatologist may prescribe an antibiotic or remove them in a minor surgery.

Pilar Cysts

Sometimes called trichilemmal cysts or wens, most of these bumps are similar to epidermoid cysts, but they mainly appear on the scalp (although they can sometimes show up on the face, neck, arms, and legs). About 10 percent of the population are affected by these types of cysts, more often occurring among women than men.

Paralabral Cysts

Paralabral cysts, also called ganglion cysts of the shoulder, are small collections of fluid beneath the skin near the shoulder joint. They are brought on by tears in the labrum, a rim of soft tissue or fibrous cartilage that surrounds the socket of a ball-and-socket joint to make it more stable.

While relatively rare, these swellings arise around the socket of the shoulder joint (glenoid) and sometimes around the hip joint. This type of cyst occurs in around 2 to 4 percent of the population and may present more frequently in males, especially those in their thirties or forties.

Unlike other cysts, paralabral cysts can cause pain. To relieve the ache, treatment first involves conservative options like physical therapy and ultrasound-guided aspiration (a procedure directing a needle into a body part to remove fluid or tissue). If those measures fail, a patient may get surgery to drain the cyst and repair a tear if present.

Bone Cysts

Bone cysts are fluid-filled areas in the bone itself, and most develop in the long bones of the arms or legs. They often have no symptoms and go away on their own, but some weaken the bone and increase the risk of fracture.

Typically, bone cysts are treated with a combination of monitoring with regular X-rays, and injections of corticosteroids into the cyst to help it heal. A surgical procedure may be required in serious cases, such as curettage (scraping out the cyst contents) and bone grafting to fill the cavity.

Injury-Related Shoulder Lumps

When you physically hurt any part of your body, it’s natural to have swelling, and the same goes for the shoulder. There are several injuries to the shoulder that can produce a lump, and people who participate in sports and are very active tend to be at greater risk.

  • Fractures A break or crack in a shoulder bone can cause a lump to appear. A bony lump (known as a “fracture callus”) may appear at the fracture site as the bone heals. This is a normal part of healing, and the protrusion usually shrinks over time.

  • Separated Shoulder A shoulder (or acromioclavicular) separation — also known as joint sprain — happens when the ligaments that hold the clavicle (collarbone) to the top of the shoulder blade tear. If this happens, the clavicle is pushed out of place and may form a bump at the top of the shoulder.

  • Muscle Contusion Commonly called bruises, contusions happen when a forceful impact strikes part of the body, crushing underlying muscle fibers and connective tissue without breaking the skin. A pool of blood may then collect within damaged tissue, forming a lump called a hematoma.

Other Potential Causes

A few other disruptions to the body can also lead to bumps appearing in the shoulder area.

Abscesses

These pus-filled pockets deep inside the skin are the result of an infection, usually caused by bacteria that enters the body through a break in the skin (such as a cut or puncture) or a hair follicle. The pus may be drained from the abscess, and a patient may be prescribed antibiotics to fight off infection.

Rheumatoid Nodules

Firm lumps may appear under the skin in up to 20 percent of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. They can form near joints, including in the shoulder. The nodules can be treated with a steroid injection to help reduce their size. Surgery to remove the nodule may be an option.

Muscle Knots

Sometimes muscles can tense up from overexertion or stress and then form “knots” or small, hard lumps within your muscle. They can feel swollen and achy. Massage, exercise, or stretching can help resolve the issue.

Large Pimples or Warts

When skin pores fill with dead skin cells and oil, they can get clogged and sometimes form big pimples. These pimples may be cystic acne, where a cyst fills with pus, or acne nodules, which are more solid and harder than cystic acne because they don’t contain fluid. Both types of pimples may be treated with oral or topical medications

 as well as intralesional steroid injection.
Noncancerous skin growths caused by the human papillomavirus — commonly called warts — may also erupt on the shoulders. Although they can go away on their own, many linger for two years or longer without treatment, being infectious and spreading in the patient and to others. Treatment includes topical medicines or having them removed through procedures like freezing or laser treatment.

Cancer

A bump in the shoulder area can turn out to be cancerous in rare cases. Soft-tissue sarcoma is a cancer that begins in the muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, or other supporting tissue of the body. The cancer can form a lump or swelling in this soft tissue. Sometimes there are no signs or symptoms until the tumor is big and presses on nearby nerves or other parts of the body. A variety of therapies exist to treat cancer, but the earlier cancer is detected, the better the odds are for long-term survival.

Swollen lymph nodes can be a sign of cancer as well, although they are usually caused by infection from bacteria or viruses.

 But Dr. Adigun says that lymph nodes are not located precisely in the shoulder, but nearby in the armpit and neck.

When to Seek Medical Attention

Even though most shoulder lumps are harmless, any new lump should be checked out by a healthcare provider, especially if you notice any of the following (which could be a sign of something serious):

  • The lump is growing or changing in size.
  • The lump is painful, red, or hot.
  • The lump doesn't move easily when touched.
  • The lump lasts for more than two weeks.

  • There are changes in the skin over the lump.

  • The lump is larger than five centimeters (about the size of a golf ball).

Diagnosis

To diagnose a shoulder lump, your healthcare provider may:

  • Perform a physical examination. “Often through a physical exam, we can determine what type of lump a person has — especially if we can determine it’s limited to the skin,” says Dr. Adigun. By asking the patient questions about the lump, as well as by touch and feel, a medical professional can narrow down the nature of the protrusion.
  • Order imaging tests such as ultrasound, MRI, or CT scan. If the nature of the lump is not readily apparent through a physical exam, a doctor may order an imaging test, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), or ultrasonography.

  • Conduct a biopsy if necessary. If a physical exam or imaging suggest that a lump may be cancerous, a medical professional may take a small tissue sample from the lump (a biopsy) and then send it to lab analysis to determine if it is a cancerous tumor.

Treatment

Treatment options will depend on the underlying cause of the lump. Many benign lumps, like lipomas, may not require significant treatment unless they cause discomfort or cosmetic concerns. If strain or overexertion is at the root of the problem, a patient may need to rest, along with applying ice, receiving physical therapy, and gradually exercising. In some cases, medication or surgical removal may be recommended.


Remember, while most shoulder lumps are not serious, it's always best to have any new or changing lumps evaluated by a medical professional for proper diagnosis and peace of mind.

The Takeaway

  • Most lumps on the shoulder are not serious and often go away on their own, but health professionals advise that any new lump should be examined by a medical professional.
  • A lump is more likely to be a sign of something serious if it is changing size, red, hot, does not easily move, or is relatively big.
  • Medications, therapies, and procedures are available to treat lumps of all kinds.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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