Health blog Category: Shoulder Pain
“Un-Freezing” That Shoulder
What is Frozen Shoulder?
Adhesive Capsulitis, or “Frozen Shoulder” is a condition in which the shoulder and the surrounding tissues thickens, which ultimately leads to:
- Stiffness
- Decreased range of motion
- Inability to move one’s arm
Frozen shoulder often prevents you from doing everyday activities or the things you love to do.
How Does Frozen Shoulder Occur?
Generally it occurs as a result of another injury.
Read full blogHurting Shoulder and No Sleep
“My shoulder pain wakes me up at night and I can’t get comfortable.”
Sound familiar?
Shoulder pain associated with sleep is one of the biggest complaints we hear when it comes to the shoulder. It is also a very common reason people seek out physical therapy.
Why is this happening?
Most often the pain occurs when lying directly on the shoulder but it can also occur laying on the uninvolved side or when on your back.
Read full blog“Ouch! I think I just tore my Rotator Cup!”
I believe the term you’re looking for is “Rotator Cuff” and its main purpose is to encapsulate the shoulder joint and provide support. Now that that is out of the way, let’s get down to business.
What is the Rotator Cuff?
The Rotator Cuff, RTC, consists of four muscles: Subscapularis, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus and Teres Minor, that all come together to stabilize the shoulder’s multi-directional movements. Whether you experience a partial or a full tear in your RTC, a lot of the same actions are happening inside of the joint.
Read full blogNo Excuses, It’s Time to Treat Shoulder Issues
The most common perpetrators of shoulder pain are impingement of the rotator cuff muscles and biceps tendons. They hurt when you lift your arm above shoulder height. This can become a vicious cycle because repetitive motion can cause pain, which stops you from lifting your arm above your head and reaching for your favorite coffee cup out of the cupboard, or putting on your afternoon/evening T-shirt.
Common Causes of Shoulder Injury
Shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries. Most shoulder discomfort or pain is caused from an injury itself or from overuse.
Some of the most common ailments related to the shoulder include:
- Tight/overworked muscles
- Tendonitis
- Impingement
- Joint stiffness
- Traumatic injury/dislocation
- Weak muscles
- Repetitive movement
- Poor shoulder mechanics
Indicators of Shoulder Injury
Shoulder pain can present itself in many different ways.
- You may first notice pain and/or tightness when moving your arm in certain directions.
- Then, it may progress to where you start to lose range of motion.
- Range of motion loss is often first seen when trying to tuck in a shirt, fasten a bra or reach into a cabinet.
- Sometimes, shoulder pain can manifest itself further down the arm as well.
Why Choose PT?
Read full blogShoulder Overuse Injuries
The shoulder is a very mobile joint due to its ball and socket design which gives it a large range of movement. So…it needs to be stabilized by all the muscles and ligaments that surround the joint. Many factors can result in these muscles and ligaments being over worked including:
- Weakness
- Fatigue or muscle endurance limitations
- Over training
- Poor technique with stroke (especially freestyle)
- Tightness
Over time injuries such as swimmer’s shoulder, rotator cuff impingement, and tendinitis occur.
Read full blogAvoid Back Pain When Shoveling this Winter
With winter here and the chance of snow right around the corner, it is important to know the proper way to shovel, in order to prevent back and shoulder injuries – ones we see frequently after a big snow. The good news though is that lower back and shoulder pain can be easily prevented by using correct body mechanics.
Try these tips to keep your back pain-free:
- Choose the Right Shovel
- An ergonomic snow shovel will help take the stress off your back and make your snow shoveling a much easier task.
Rotator Cuff Tears: Rehabilitation vs. Surgery
In the physical therapy business, regardless of the time of year, we see plenty of patients complaining of shoulder pain. Most shoulder pain occurs following repetitive movements. These cause wear and tear that breaks down the rotator cuff tendons. Activities such as raking leaves and shoveling are common culprits that send people to seek medical attention for shoulder pain. In addition, injuries that involve lifting can also cause increased pain in the shoulders.
What Is The Rotator Cuff?
Read full blogThat Pinching in Our Shoulder
What is shoulder impingement?
When the muscles of our rotator cuff become subjected to repeated pinching in between the rounded head of the humerus bone and the acromion process (a bony prominence from the shoulder blade that forms a roof over top of the ball and socket joint) shoulder impingement is occurring. This pinching may only be a discomfort or may not even produce pain at first, but with repetition, our rotator cuff muscles will become inflamed.
Read full blogShoulder Pain and Impingement
Shoulder pain and shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries we see at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. Some of the most common ailments related to the shoulder that we see include tight/overworked muscles, tendonitis, impingement and, joint stiffness. All of these can cause pain, weakness, and decrease ability to perform everyday activities. Shoulder pain can cause an absence from sports, prevent us from playing with our kids, and cause difficulty doing household chores.
Read full blogShoulder Injuries Causing Our Discomfort
The design of the shoulder is a ball and socket joint. The rounded head of your humerus articulates with the cup like depression of the scapula, giving it a wide degree of movement. That’s why shoulder injuries are pretty common. Shoulder issues like pain and weaknesses are some of the most common reasons people seek help from a physical therapist.
Your shoulder joint is held together by an extensive group of muscles and ligaments that can be weakened by certain repetitive movements.
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