By Misha Gilani, DPT
Shoulder tendonitis is a very common problem for every age group and one we treat often at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendon that attaches the muscle to the bone. With respect to the shoulder, the muscles that are most frequently inflamed are your rotator cuff and bicep tendon. Our patients will typically complain about pain along the front of the shoulder. Patients often complaint of pain with overhead activities, lifting items, reaching behind their back or pain when washing their hair. These symptoms often cause the patient to have difficulty performing day to day activities due to their limitation in range of motion, weakness and pain.
If shoulder tendonitis is not taken care of, it can cause other dysfunction and aggravation of symptoms. The majority of patients with this particular shoulder condition and any shoulder pain in general, also suffer from shoulder instability and trigger points in shoulder muscles due to compensatory mechanics you have adapted because of the pain in the shoulder. The good news is shoulder pain is something that can be easily resolved with physical therapy. A physical therapist can determine what is causing your pain or dysfunction so you can understand how to correct the problem and treat the symptoms.
So what causes shoulder pain? This condition can stem from several factors but common ones include:
- Overuse
- Poor posture
- Poor ergonomics when sitting at a desk, standing or driving
- Weakness
- Muscle strain or tear
- Poor technique when exercising
Physical therapy is a very effective treatment method to relieve shoulder pain, which can help improve joint mobility, strength and posture to help relieve your pain. Physical therapy can also help decrease muscle tightness and improve shoulder stability which all in turn helps decrease pain and inflammation. With physical therapy intervention, it can help restore your quality of life and return you to your prior level of function.
