Shoulder pain is an extremely common condition that can take many forms. It can bother people when they are performing mundane daily activities, participating in sports, hobbies or recreational activities or even disturb people when they are sitting, lying down or even when trying to sleep.
There are numerous reasons why you may be experiencing shoulder pain:
Tendinitis
A tendon is a structure that attaches a muscle to a bone. It allows larger muscles to reach smaller spaces giving us greater strength with a significant increase in efficiency (excellence in design). Tendinitis simply means that the tendon is inflamed, “Tendon Swelling”. This happens typically as the result of excessive force or wear.
Rotator Cuff Tear
The rotator cuff is a group of tendons that attach 4 specific shoulder blade muscles to the upper arm bone. The job of the rotator cuff is to position the “ball” of the arm bone centrally in the “socket” of the shoulder blade. Injury, overuse, poor posture, and often even age, can cause wear to the rotator cuff. Injuries can range from small partial thickness tears (creating a dent in the tendon) all the way to complete wear through the full thickness of the tendon. Physiotherapy is well recognized as a significant part of rotator cuff healing and recovery.
Arthritis
A medical term for “Joint Swelling”. There are a variety of causes for Joint Swelling ranging from sudden forces (acute injury) to a more gradual wear as a result of improper or excessive use (chronic onset). The result of Arthritis is often painful loss of shoulder motion, muscle weakness, and difficulty performing normal activities of Daily Life.
Impingement
Impingement or “pinching” can happen to soft tissues of the shoulder when the bones of the shoulder move abnormally. As a result of this improper movement pattern the bones can come too close together so as to pinch the structures in between them.
Frozen shoulder
Medically known as “adhesive capsulitis”, frozen shoulder can occur for a variety or reasons or unfortunately for no apparent reason at all. Frozen shoulder can result in a painful loss of shoulder motion. It is an extremely limiting condition. Proper physiotherapy rehabilitation programs can often benefit this painful and limiting condition.
Our physiotherapy approach at Newcastle Village Physiotherapy always involves a comprehensive physical assessment by the most experienced team of Physiotherapists in the Newcastle area. We are extremely familiar with the structure of the shoulder joint complex, its mobility requirements and the many ways that this complex and commonly injured structure can be affected.
Once assessed an individualized plan will be created just for you. Together we will work as a team to remove the source of the impairment. Proper positioning and restoring the natural balance within the shoulder joint is achieved with strengthening, stretching and manual therapy, mobility exercises, posture correction, and education. Together we will work to help you reduce your shoulder pain while rebuilding and restoring the function of this often-problematic area.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have or to book an appointment today.