Shoulder Pain
What causes shoulder pain?
- Shoulder pain can be caused by a variety of different things including injury, poor posture, inflammatory conditions or referred pain from other areas of the body
- The shoulder consists of 4 joints including glenohumeral, scapulothoracic, acromioclavicular and sternoclavicular joint
- All joints work together to allow movement of the shoulder. If one joint is not working properly, it can lead to pain and difficulty with movement
Common Conditions:
- Shoulder impingement: often related to overuse and repetitive motions leading to compression or “impingement” of rotator cuff tendons in the shoulder.
- Overtime it can cause pain and movement problems in the affected shoulder
- Can also be called subacromial impingement
- Symptoms: loss of range of motion especially in overhead positions, pain with movement, pain while sleeping and pain with throwing motions
- Shoulder Replacement: surgery to replace all of part of the shoulder joint
- Rotator cuff tear and repair: the rotator cuff muscles act to stabilize the shoulder joint
- Rotator cuff tendonitis: overuse of the rotator cuff musculature
How can physical therapy help?
- Your therapist will perform a thorough examination and evaluation to discover the underlying cause of your shoulder pain. Common treatments include:
- Manual therapy- aids in getting shoulder moving properly
- Range of motion exercises- restores full pain free motion of your shoulder
- Strengthening exercises- increases stability of your shoulder
- Education- regarding proper posture and lifting techniques
- Functional training- assists with returning you to sport or job duties
