The shoulder is a common region in which people complain of pain and discomfort. Shoulder discomfort and pain can commonly affect your ability to get a good nights’ sleep, carry groceries, shower, wash clothes, reach into overhead cabinets, and to tuck in your shirt. Don’t let your shoulder discomfort and pain limit you from these activities or anything else you enjoy doing.
Minor inflammation or minor tears can become worsened if aggravating factors are not addressed and prevent you from playing tennis, reaching that plate from the upper cabinet or scratching that itch in the middle of your back. The sooner treatment is initiated, the better.
The shoulder can often be a confusing region to have pain, too. Some people describe their shoulder discomfort and pain along the top of their shoulder to their neck. Some people have shoulder discomfort and pain about their shoulder blade. Others describe their shoulder discomfort and pain along the front of their shoulder or the top of their shoulder or the back of the shoulder or radiating down the shoulder to arm, elbow and even all the way to the hand at times.
There are many different reasons for shoulder pain and therefore many different presentations of shoulder discomfort and pain.
- Repetitive overuse,
- Posture, and muscle use imbalances can contribute to micro trauma and tendinitis, spasm, or the development of trigger points of the shoulder muscles.
- Arthritis or degeneration of the joints are also causes of gradual onset shoulder pain.
- Shoulder and upper extremity pain can also be referred or radiating from the neck. There are many different parts that have to be able to work appropriately together for optimal, pain-free shoulder function.
The shoulder is actually a complex made up of 3 different joints. First, there is the glenohumeral joint which is the well-known ball and socket joint of the shoulder connecting the arm bone to the shoulder blade. Second, there Is the acromioclavicular joint which attaches the shoulder blade to the collar bone. This is the bony attachment essentially connecting the whole upper extremity to the trunk of the body. Third, there is the scapulothoracic joint in which the shoulder blade moves along the thoracic portion of the back of the rib cage.
In addition to the shoulder having multiple moving joints, it has even more muscles in order to help control the various movements that need to occur at each joint. Some of the muscles that attach to your shoulder blade and collar bone also attach to your neck, midback, chest, and ribs. So due to their interconnectedness and close proximity it is not uncommon for neck or upper back and shoulder issues to sometimes be related or for one to follow the other.
Potentially more common than not, people complain of their shoulder pain having started for no apparent reason. Just because there is no major traumatic event, that does not mean that the shoulder can’t still be injured.
If you or someone you know is experiencing any kind of shoulder pain, don’t hesitate. CALL Loudoun Sports Therapy Center TODAY at 703-450-4300 Our Physcial Therapists will give you a thorough examination and can help determine where your pain is coming from and what factors are likely contributing to your pain. They can then prescribe treatments to address any deficits in posture, flexibility, soft tissue mobility, strength, and stabilization.
CLICK HERE for more on how physical therapy can help you.
