There are many ways that shoulder pain can present itself. It could 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 in. It can also develop as a result of an injury, making you feel as if your shoulder is immobile. There are numerous reasons why someone may experience shoulder pain, and the severity can range from the temporary discomfort of a pulled muscle to the agonizing bone-on-bone friction of arthritis. Whatever the case may be, our physical therapy office is dedicated to offering you natural pain management modalities. Contact our Broomall or Springfield physical therapy practice today to schedule a consultation and find out how our services may benefit you!
Why am I experiencing shoulder pain?
There are a number of physical feats that your shoulder is capable of accomplishing. However, with the shoulder’s many complexities also comes the possibilities of pain and discomfort. The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint, meaning the head of the upper arm bone, also known as the humerus, fits perfectly in the corresponding space within the shoulder blade, or scapula. The ends of the bone are protected by a thick layer of cartilage, preventing the bones from rubbing together. Fluid-filled sacs known as bursae also protect the tendons from rubbing against the bones. Your tendons attach the bones in the shoulder to another set of bones that are known as the rotator cuff.
As you may see, there is a lot that goes into the function of the shoulder. If something goes wrong with the make up its mechanical interplay, pain can result. The type of pain you feel in your shoulder can vary from a dull ache to a shooting pain, depending on what is causing your pain. For example, pain from tendon impingement typically occurs as you raise your arm up, but stops before the arm is raised completely skyward. Pain that has developed from a degenerated shoulder may create persistent aches every time you move your arm in certain directions. Acute injuries (typically occurring as the result of an injury) can result in sudden and intense pains that make it impossible for you to move your shoulder at all.
So, what’s causing my shoulder pain?
Due to the complexities of the shoulder, there are several pain-causing conditions that may occur. According to WebMD, some of the most common causes of shoulder pain include:
- Tendonitis – When the shoulder joint is excessively overused, tendonitis can occur. This is typically due to the demands of a labor-intensive job or sport, which can cause the tendons to undergo ongoing inflammation. Tendonitis can result in swelling and painful impingement when raising your arm.
- Dislocation – When the head of the humerus pops out of place, it is known as a dislocation. Those who have sustained dislocation injuries report them as being extremely painful, and it unfortunately is something that you become more vulnerable to after the first dislocation occurs.
- Arthritis – The most common types of arthritis are known as 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 sees the joints as a threat. In the shoulder, the immune system attacks the membranes surrounding the shoulder joint, resulting in pain and inflammation.
- Frozen shoulder – Frozen shoulder, medically referred to as “adhesive capsulitis,” can occur if you have been bedridden for an extended period of time or if your arm has been in a cast or sling for a while. When you don’t have opportunities to exercise the shoulder, the tissues can stiffen up on you, thus causing this painful condition to occur.
Contact Advance Physical & Aquatic Therapy for relief:
Physical therapy is an easy, comfortable, and natural way to find relief for shoulder pain, without the need for harmful drugs or invasive surgery. Our Broomall and Springfield physical therapists are movement experts, experienced in treating a number of conditions that cause shoulder pain. With our physical therapy treatments, you may find improvement and relief after just a few short sessions – and sometimes less!
Our physical therapists are trained to pinpoint the cause of your pain through a variety of diagnostic techniques. X-rays can illustrate if you have sustained a dislocation or if you’re developing arthritis, while range of motion tests are used in order to discover which of your soft tissues are contributing to your pain.
Once we have established the cause of your shoulder pain, we can create a specialized combination of physical therapy methods to manage and relieve your pain. These will include gentle exercises, which have proven to ease the pain of osteoarthritis and reduce the stiffness of frozen shoulder. They may also include more specialized techniques, such as athletic training, ice and heat therapies, or ergonomics. Strengthening programs may also be implemented as a way to rehabilitate injured muscles or help stabilize a shoulder that is prone to dislocation.
Don’t let your shoulder pain limit your physical abilities any longer! Advance Physical & Aquatic Therapy will get you the help you need to start living your normal life once again. Get shoulder pain relief with physical therapy. Contact our Broomall or Springfield physical therapy office today to schedule your appointment and get started on your path towards recovery.
Read our blog post on saying goodbye to your aches and pains with physical therapy by clicking here!
FAQs
What is the best exercise for shoulder pain?
While there is no one-stop solution for shoulder pain, there are many exercises that can be done to help strengthen the rotator cuff region and ease the pain you are expereincing. Our physical therapists are highly trained to help improve the flexibility and range of motion in your shoulder, in addition to relieving your pain and discomfort. This will be done through an individualized treatment plan designed specifically for you, including therapeutic modalities and targeted pain-relief exercises. A couple common rotator cuff-strengthening exercises that physical therapists prescribe are wall push-ups and chair push-ups. Resistance bands can also be used to increase the strength in your shoulder and help relieve pain. However, it is important to note that if your pain is serious, these exercises should not be performed without the aid of a physical therapist.
How many types of shoulder pain exist?
When it comes to your upper extremities, injuries typically fall into two categories: acute or overuse. Acute injuries are caused by a single specific incident, such as a strain or tear. Overuse injuries are caused by excessive repetitive movements over time. Both acute and overuse injuries can range from mild to severe and can have a significant impact on daily life function. Shoulder pain can also be chronic, meaning it has persisted for 3 months or longer, despite efforts to relieve it. If you have been living with chronic shoulder pain, it is in your best interest to consult with a physical therapist as soon as possible, so they can get to the root of the problem and treat you accordingly.
Can physical therapy help shoulder pain?
Two of the biggest goals of physical therapy are 1) to alleviate your pain and 2) to improve your function. Your physical therapist will work with you to make sure that both of these are achieved throughout your physical therapy sessions. Physical therapy has been proven to manage the pain of several conditions, and in many cases, it has even been proven to eliminate shoulder pain altogether, thus making the need for harmful drugs or surgical intervention obsolete.
What are the causes of shoulder pain?
There are several underlying causes that could result in shoulder pain. For example, a sudden injury or trauma to the shoulders can cause them to become painful. Repetitive motions can also cause shoulder pain, as your muscles, joints, and tendons are working in overdrive. While there are multiple factors that could be causing your shoulder pain, some of the most common include sprains, strains, a torn cartilage, dislocation, frozen shoulder, tendinitis, and arthritis.