shoulder pain physio

Shoulder Pain Physio

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. It is hugely important to the normal function of our everyday lives as well as during sport and activities

Shoulder Pain can be simply split into acute shoulder pain and chronic shoulder pain.

Acute shoulder pain normally has a clear moment of injury, such as a fall or a sports collision. There may have been a snap or a pop and pain was likely quite sudden after this incident. These types of injuries can be quite debilitating and it is important to get them assessed as soon as possible in order to find out what structures are involved (muscle, tendon, bone, labrum) and what the recovery journey will be like.

Chronic shoulder pain usually has no one clear moment of onset. It normally comes on slowly and progressively gets worse over the subsequent days, weeks, months and sometimes even years. This pain often occurs after starting a new activity (such as tennis or a gym program) or following a period of heavy manual work (gardening or painting)

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Symptoms of Shoulder Pain

The most common symptom of shoulder injury is pain when lifting the hands overhead. This can make everyday activities difficult such as getting dressed, putting things up high, playing sport or going to the gym. Here are some other very common symptoms that we see:

  • Pain of any nature in or around the shoulder, sharp, dull, deep, aching.
  • Dislocation – a feeling of the arm leaving the shoulder joint.
  • Subluxation – a feeling of the shoulder popping out then back in again.
  • Awareness of instability or weakness in shoulder/
  • Any kind of audible ‘pop’ or ‘crack’ sound in the shoulder joint.
  • Pins and needles or numbness in the hand or arm.
  • Sensation of pain in neck or upper back radiating up from shoulder
  • Pain or altered symptoms in the upper back or neck.
  • Inability to complete your normal physical activities due to any of the above symptoms.
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shoulder pain physio

Shoulder Pain Physio Appointment Review

“Came into Keelan with an ongoing shoulder issue that had plagued me for years. Had it seen to elsewhere but the relief was short-lived. He assessed the problem and in one session it was resolved.”

How To Treat Shoulder Pain

The first step to treating your shoulder pain is to get a thorough assessment to get a full diagnosis which will provide scope to provide the correct treatment and rehabilitation programme to make a full and complete recovery. 

Most shoulder pain treatment will involve a progressive rehabilitation programme with expert exercises to fix your pain and improve your everyday function and your sporting performance.

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Some of the more common shoulder conditions and causes of pain are:

Rotator cuff pain:

The tendons which control the shoulder movements are called the rotator cuff. These work together to provide strength, stability and movement of the shoulder. However they are prone to damage due to numerous factors. Tears may develop from repetitive motions caused by sports or work movements, a fall, sudden trauma or an excessive load. These can range from micro tears to full tears or multiple tears. As tendons age they also prone to gradual wear and tear, which predisposes them to injury.

 

Shoulder impingement

This is an irritation of the tendons as they pass through the space between the top of the humerus (upper arm) and the acromium (boney point on top of your shoulder). These are generally caused by an imbalance in the muscle around the shoulder joint and scapula. This triggers an abnormal movement pattern, which may result in inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons or the bursa in the shoulder joint. This can lead to pain in the shoulder.

 

Shoulder dislocation

This is a generally caused by a sudden trauma, which causes the humerus to be forcibly removed from your shoulder socket. It can be dislocated anteriorly, inferiorly or posteriorly.

 

Following a shoulder dislocation a relocation is generally performed in A&E.  The force of the trauma normally results in damage to the labrum (cartilage that is surrounding the shoulder socket) and also the ligaments, which assist in increasing the stability of the joint.

 

After a dislocation you will generally be placed in a sling. On some occasions you may need to have your shoulder surgically repaired to improve the stability. During your assessment with your physiotherapist we will go through the different stages of rehabilitation. This will be gaining your normal range of motion, slowly increasing the strength and control in your rotator cuff using a personalised rehab programme. As we move towards the end of your rehab process we will continually make it very specific to what your goals are so that you return to the activity that you want to.

 

Other injuries that are treated in BR Physiotherapy:

  • Rotator Cuff injuries
  • Shoulder Instability
  • Frozen Shoulder/Arthritis
  • Shoulder Impingement
  • Rotator Cuff Tear
  • Rotator cuff tendinopathy
  • Adhesive Capsulitis
  • Bursitis

We keep things simple

and cater for all injuries. Get in touch with us today to start your recovery process.

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