Shoulder pain can take many forms – it can show up when you’re reaching toward the top shelf to put dishes away or when you’re struggling to find a comfortable position to sleep. It can show up as a result of an injury, making you feel a dull aching pain, or even make you feel as if your shoulder is immobile.

Why am I experiencing shoulder pain?

Your shoulder is capable of accomplishing many physical feats. The shoulder has the greatest range of motion compared to the other joints of your body; however, with its complexities also comes the increased possibility of injury. As a “ball-and-socket” joint, the head of the upper arm bone, (humerus) fits perfectly in the corresponding space of the shoulder blade or “scapula.” Cartilage is present on the end of the humerus, providing a smooth, sliding surface for your joint. The labrum is present on the “socket” portion of the joint, helping to provide more stability for the shoulder joint.

Fluid-filled sacs called “bursae” facilitate the sliding motion of tendons, ligaments, muscles and skin over bony prominences. Tendons are a strong, fibrous collagen tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone. If something goes wrong with the intricacies that make up the mechanical interplay of the shoulder, pain can result.

The type of pain you feel in your shoulder can vary, depending on the cause. Pain from impingement, for example, typically occurs as you raise your arm up, and begins at a certain point in the range of motion. Pain resulting from a degenerated shoulder may create persistent aches every time you move your arm in certain directions. Acute injuries can result in sudden and intense pains that make it impossible for you to move your shoulder at all.

A common injury – rotator cuff tears

Your rotator cuff is comprised of the muscles and tendons surrounding your shoulder joint. The rotator cuff can become torn or injured, often due to repetitive overhead motions like those performed in sports like tennis or certain jobs like carpentry. If you are experiencing a rotator cuff injury, you will generally feel a dull ache deep in your shoulder, arm weakness, difficulty reaching behind your backs, and disturbed sleep due to pain. At Physical Therapy Solutions, our evidence-based and non-invasive methods can help relieve your shoulder pain and heal your rotator cuff injury.

While some severe rotator cuff injuries can require surgery, there are several cases where physical therapy treatments can work just as well (if not better) than surgery. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, “A recent study from Finland asserts that when it comes to treatment of nontraumatic rotator cuff tears, physical therapy alone produces results equal to those produced by arthroscopic surgery and open surgical repair.” In this same study, a follow-up on 167 patients receiving physical therapy alone for their rotator cuff injuries, demonstrated that conservative treatment, such as physical therapy, and should be considered as the primary treatment for this condition.

Physical Therapy Solutions, will conduct a physical evaluation and diagnostic tests to determine if you do indeed have a rotator cuff tear, and we will design a personalized treatment plan based on the needs of your diagnosis.

What’s causing my shoulder pain?

The complexities of the shoulder joint present many opportunities for pain-causing conditions. Some of the most common causes of shoulder pain include:

• Impingement. Impingement typically occurs because of abnormal movement and tracking of the humeral head as you lift your arm overhead. Pain typically starts when lifting your arm at or above 90 degrees.
• Arthritis. The two main forms of arthritis that affect the shoulder are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the shoulder joint experiences significant “wear and tear,” typically due to age or excessive overuse. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system decides to attack the membranes surrounding the shoulder joint, resulting in pain and inflammation. Both of these result in pain, loss of motion, weakness in the shoulder muscles, and difficulty performing normal, daily tasks.
• Tendinitis. Tendinitis occurs when the shoulder joint is excessively overused typically due to the demands of a laborious job, overhead activity, or sport. Furthermore, poor posture is a major contributor, as this alters the normal forces on the tendons, and can predispose you to tendon injury. This causes the tendons to undergo ongoing inflammation, resulting in swelling and painful impingement when raising your arm.
• Frozen shoulder. Also known as “adhesive capsulitis,” frozen shoulder can occur if your arm has been in a cast or sling for a while, or if you have been inactive for an extended period of time. It results in a painful loss of motion in the shoulder with a tightening of the shoulder joint that decreases shoulder range of motion.
• Rotator cuff tear. The rotator cuff is comprised of 4 muscles, tendons, and soft tissue that surround the shoulder joint. The job of the rotator cuff is to correctly guide the movement of the shoulder joint. With injury, overuse, poor posture, or even age, the rotator cuff can be partially or completely torn. Depending on the severity and situation, surgery may be required; however, physical therapy treatments can often help reduce pain and restore strength to the rotator cuff to compensate for the partial tear. If surgery is needed, physical therapy is an integral part of the pre and post-surgical rehabilitation for a full recovery.

Find relief for your shoulder pain today:

Our physical therapists are movement experts, trained to pinpoint the cause of your pain through a variety of diagnostic techniques. During your evaluation, we will examine your range of motion, strength, coordination, your medical history, joint mobility, and mechanics of your joint motion.

Once we have determined the cause of your shoulder pain, we can create an individualized physical treatment plan to manage and relieve your pain. Gentle manual therapy helps to restore normal joint movement, ease soft tissue restrictions, and promote circulation. Specific therapeutic exercises are also utilized to restore strength, and correct the sequence of muscle activation around the shoulder joint. Finally, we teach you techniques to enhance your strength and to prevent the recurrence of future shoulder problems.

Don’t let your shoulder pain limit your physical abilities any longer! Our physical therapists will get you the help you need to start living your normal life once again. Contact Physical Therapy Solutions today to schedule your appointment and get started on your path toward pain relief.