Move Your Shoulders With Ease Once Again Through Physical Therapy!
You Don’t Have to Live with Tight or Achy Shoulders
Because we use our shoulders for almost every movement, it’s a big deal if they bother us!
There are numerous causes of shoulder pain, and the severity of the pain can range from minor discomfort caused by a pulled muscle to agonizing bone-on-bone friction caused by arthritis.
Shoulder pain can develop as a result of an injury, making it painful to move and use the arm in a normal way. You might even feel that your shoulder is immobile.
Shoulder pain can also appear in a variety of ways, such as reaching for the top shelf to put away dishes, putting on a shirt, or struggling to find a comfortable sleeping position.
Whatever the source of your shoulder pain, Orthopedic Sports Therapy is dedicated to figuring out why your shoulder hurts and providing you with natural pain relief options.
Make an appointment today at our physical therapy clinic in Ahwatukee, Biltmore or Tempe, AZ to learn more about our shoulder pain treatment options!
Why should I consider PT for shoulder pain/injury?
Rotator cuff injuries are commonly associated with deep shoulder pain, arm weakness, difficulty reaching behind the back, and difficulty sleeping due to pain.
Depending on the severity and situation, physical therapy can often help reduce pain and restore strength to the rotator cuff. In most cases your full function can be restored, avoiding surgical intervention.
According to the American Physical Therapy Association, “a recent Finnish study asserts that when it comes to the treatment of nontraumatic rotator cuff tears, physical therapy alone produces results comparable to arthroscopic surgery and open surgical repair.”
Orthopedic Sports Therapy’s natural and non-invasive methods can help relieve shoulder pain and heal rotator cuff injuries.
If your shoulder injury does require surgery, however, physical therapy will be an important part of the recovery process. The Doctors of Physical Therapy at Orthopedic Sports Therapy are trained in post operative care for shoulder surgeries and will see you through your post-op rehab to restore full function!
How can physical therapy relieve shoulder pain?
Physical therapy is a natural, simple, and comfortable way to relieve shoulder pain that does not involve the use of harmful drugs or invasive surgery.
Our physical therapists in Ahwatukee, Biltmore and Tempe, AZ have treated a wide range of shoulder pain conditions, with many patients experiencing improvement and relief after only a few short sessions.
Physical therapists are movement specialists who have been trained to use a variety of diagnostic tests and methods to diagnose shoulder pain, as well as treatment tools to reduce, eliminate and prevent pain.
During your assessment, we will look at your range of motion, strength, posture, coordination, medical history, joint mobility, and joint motion mechanics.
Once your physical therapist has identified the source of your shoulder pain, they will be able to create a personalized treatment plan to manage and relieve your discomfort.
Manual therapy may be included in your treatment plan to aid in the restoration of normal joint movement, the relief of soft tissue restrictions, and the promotion of circulation. Specific therapeutic exercises to restore strength and a proper muscle activation sequence around the shoulder joint may also be included.
Another benefit of physical therapy is that you will learn new ways to move your body in order to increase your strength and avoid future shoulder problems.
Why it’s important to have comfortable shoulder movements
The shoulder is a “ball-and-socket” joint, which means that the head of the upper arm bone (“humerus”) fits perfectly into the corresponding space within the shoulder blade (or “scapula”), and the ends of the bones are protected by a thick layer of cartilage, preventing bone friction.
Tendons, which connect muscles to bones, are also protected from rubbing against bones by fluid-filled bags called “bursae.” The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint and are vital for normal function. The rotator cuff muscles and their corresponding tendons are the structures involved in rotator cuff injuries. The Bursea that protect the tendons can also be inflamed and a source of pain.
Your shoulders can perform a variety of physical feats. In fact, they have the most movement of any joint in your body! That’s why shoulder pain and discomfort brings with it a variety of complications.
The type of pain you feel in your shoulder will depend on what is causing it. Impingement pain, for example, occurs when you raise your arm overhead.
When you move your arm in certain directions, a degenerated shoulder can cause persistent aches. Acute injuries can cause sudden and intense pain, making shoulder movement impossible.
Pain can also occur if something goes wrong with the complex interactions of the bones that comprise the shoulder joint – the humerus, the scapula (shoulder blade) and the clavicle (collar bone). These three bones must move in a specific, balanced manner to have full and normal shoulder function. The upper back (thoracic spine) also has a big impact on shoulder health! Poor posture at the upper back is very common with shoulder pain.
Some of the most common causes of shoulder pain include:
Arthritis
The two main forms of arthritis that affect the shoulder are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Both of these result in loss of motion, weakness to the shoulder muscles, and difficulty performing normal, daily tasks.
Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system decides to attack the membranes surrounding the shoulder joint, resulting in pain and inflammation.
Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the shoulder joint experiences significant “wear and tear,” typically due to age or excessive overuse.
Impingement
Impingement typically occurs because of abnormal movement and tracking of the humeral head as you lift your arm overhead.
Pain typically occurs when lifting your arm overhead.
Frozen shoulder
Frozen shoulder results in a painful loss of motion in the shoulder with a tightening of the shoulder joint that severely limits motion. It is also known as “adhesive capsulitis.”
This condition can occur if your arm has been in a cast or sling for a while, or if you have been bedridden for an extended period. It can also occur after a trauma or accident in which the shoulder is injured or, of course, for no apparent reason.
Some ethnicities are more predisposed, and women from 40-60 years of age tend to have more instances of this condition than men.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis occurs when the shoulder joint is excessively overused, typically due to the physical demands of a person’s job, overhead activity, or sport.
Another factor for tendinitis is also poor posture because this alters the normal forces on the tendons, and can set you up for tendon injury. This causes the tendons to undergo ongoing inflammation, resulting in swelling and painful impingement when raising your arm.
Contact us for effective shoulder pain relief
Shoulder pain may be controlling your life, but it doesn’t have to! Our Arizona physical therapy practice will give you the help you need to get back to doing the things you enjoy without pain.
Make an appointment with Orthopedic Sports Therapy today to begin your journey toward pain relief!