I switched from back squats to the front style because of shoulder pain, PD. Loved back squats, loved, loved, loved them. But it came to the point where I could no longer even sleep at night. After making the switch to fronts, zero pain. Figured I'd switch back sometime, but as a non-competitor, there is no good reason with the results I've had. Even a Buffalo bar didn't make a huge amount of difference, although there was some.
My partner at the time, he's dissed me for 2 years now even though our weight room is set up at his place, is a big bench presser. For years he gave me a hard time about a weinie bench press, and shoulder pain didn't help any. Once the pain was gone, I was able to focus harder and at least catch if not surpass him. There's my excuse in a nutshell.