You never really think about how much you use your shoulders in daily life until you experience shoulder pain. Your day is probably filled with reaching, lifting, stretching, picking things up, and other activities that involve your shoulders. As a result, shoulder pain can reduce your quality of life in a big way. Almost every type of shoulder pain can be alleviated and treated with physical therapy. If you’re living with severe shoulder pain, don’t hesitate to contact Wood Associates Physical Therapy Cambridge, and request an appointment with a physical therapist.
What is Shoulder Pain?
“Shoulder pain” is really just a generic term for something that makes your shoulder area hurt. The shoulder is a complicated ball and socket joint that includes your collarbone (clavicle), your upper arm bone (humerus), and the shoulder blade itself (scapula). The shoulder has ligaments and muscles attached to it from your back, chest, and arm. An injury or debilitating condition to any of those attachments, bones, ligaments, or muscles can lead to “shoulder pain.”
The only question is, how serious is the pain? Some types of shoulder pain are so severe that they can completely restrict your movement — for months at a time. If it is an ongoing pain that doesn’t seem to be getting better, you should seriously consider physical therapy for pain relief and to help you recover.
Causes of Shoulder Pain
Here’s a closer look at the different causes and types of shoulder pain:
- 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 at or above 90 degrees.
- 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.
- Tendinitis – Tendinitis develops when a person’s shoulder joint is overworked, usually as a result of the physical demands of their job, overhead activity, or sport. Poor posture can cause tendinitis because it alters the balance of your shoulders and can cause tightness and weakness, putting you at risk of tendon injury. This causes the tendons to undergo ongoing inflammation, resulting in swelling and painful impingement when raising your arm.
- Frozen shoulder – Frozen shoulder is characterized by a painful loss of shoulder motion as well as a tightening of the shoulder joint that severely restricts motion. Adhesive capsulitis is another name for it. If your arm has been in a cast or sling for a long time, or if you have been bedridden for a while, this condition can develop. Some ethnicities are more predisposed, and women from 40-60 years of age tend to have more instances of this condition than men.
- Rotator cuff injuries – Rotator cuff injuries, also known as “torn shoulders,” are commonly associated with deep shoulder pain, arm weakness, difficulty reaching behind the back, and difficulty sleeping due to pain. Surgery may be necessary depending on the severity and situation, but proper physical therapy can often help reduce pain and restore rotator cuff strength without the need for surgery. Physical therapy will be an important part of the recovery process if surgery is required.
Physical Therapy for Shoulder Pain
Your physical therapist will start the process of dealing with your shoulder pain by evaluating it. You’ll be asked questions about the cause of the pain, how severe it is, what makes it worse, and whether anything makes it feel better. The physical therapist will conduct some tests to determine the range of motion in your shoulder and test its strength.
Depending on the cause of your shoulder pain, your therapist will begin a recommended course of treatment to improve your range of motion and start the healing process. This can involve pain management, such as identifying painful motions or activities and figuring out ways to avoid those. Your treatment will likely involve manual therapy, such as soft tissue massage, as well as range-of-motion exercises to help improve the function of your shoulder muscles and ligaments. Strengthening exercises may or may not be a part of your treatment, depending on the diagnosis. It’s important that you follow your physical therapist’s advice, so you can properly heal.
If you’re suffering from shoulder pain as a result of an injury, request an appointment today with your physical therapist to get you back on the path to healing as quickly as possible!
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 experiencing. Your physical therapist is a 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 your physical therapist prescribes is 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.