Shoulder Pain and Treatment

Life and sporting activities can result in some common injuries involving the shoulder. Sports such as tennis, golf, swimming, soccer, wake-boarding or water skiing, as well  home maintenance jobs can all cause shoulder problems.  Any activity that uses repetitive motions or sustained postures can result in inflammation or injury to structures in the shoulder. The most common shoulder problems include:

Rotator cuff tendon strain - The rotator cuff is a group of tendons that cross the the shoulder and attach onto the capsule and bone of the shoulder joint, most commonly the supraspinatus tendon is affected. The tendons can become inflammed and possibly torn from overuse or overload.

Impingement Syndrome - When the rotator cuff tendons become pinched in the joint due to narrowing of the joint space potentially causing inflammation and pain.

Bursitis - Inflammation of the bursa (fluid-filled sacs) around the shoulder from excessive loads on them.

Muscle Strain - Can occur in the shoulder muscles such as the rotator cuff muscles and ones that connect the shoulder to the neck such as the trapezius and the ones connecting the shoulder to the rib cage.

 

Treatment Options for Shoulder Injuries

The type of Physiotherapy treatments that you will receive depends on the specific condition that you have and whether you’ve undergone surgery or not. In addition, your physio will likely ask about your goals for rehabilitation.

Treatments for shoulder injuries may be composed of a combination of any of the following:

  • Cold therapy (ice pack application/ice massage)

  • Hot pack application

  • Immobilisation (splinting/bandaging)

  • Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

  • Ultrasound (US)

  • Dry Needling

  • Soft tissue mobilisation (massage)

  • Shoulder joint mobilization

  • Physiotherapy exercises

    • Range of motion exercises

    • Stretching or flexibility exercises

    • General conditioning exercises

    • Shoulder muscles strengthening exercises

  • Patient education

    • About the patient’s particular shoulder problem

    • Precautions and activity modification

    • Self-care of symptoms

    • Home exercise program

    • Shoulder injury prevention

  • Return to work or sports rehabilitation program

     

    Physiotherapy treatment and advice can dramatically improve the treatment and prevention of shoulder pain

 

     At Fitness Physio, we will provide you with a treatment plan that goes to correcting the root cause of the injury giving you a strategy for a long term solution