Health blog Category: Shoulder Pain
Healing Our Rotator Cuff and Curing Shoulder Problems
Have you ever felt a twinge in your shoulder when lifting something, or do you suffer from an aching shoulder at the end of the day? This could be a sign that your rotator cuff in your shoulder, is weak and irritated.
What happens when the rotator cuff is weak?
Since our rotator cuff is designed to guide the shoulder joint, when certain rotator cuff muscles are weak or injured, poor alignment occurs.
Read full blogTechniques to Alleviate Pain in Our Shoulders
Do you find your shoulders aching at the end of the day or when having to lift your arms? Whether your pain is from an old injury or just from moving all day long, try these simple techniques to feel better and stronger.
Why Your Shoulders Hurt
Your shoulders are the most complicated joints in your body and thus, one of the most easily injured. They have to move through an incredible 180 degrees of motion, while still maintaining stability and strength.
Healing Our Shoulder With Physical Therapy
What Causes Shoulder Injuries?
Most shoulder pain occurs following repetitive movements. These movements cause wear and tear that breaks down your 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?
The rotator cuff is made up of four small muscles that control movement and provide stability of the shoulder joint.
Simple Techniques to Cure Aching Shoulders
Aug 2nd 2019Do you find your shoulders aching at the end of the day or when having to lift your arms?
Why Our Shoulders Hurt
Our shoulders are the most complicated joints in our body and thus, one of the most easily injured. They have to move through an incredible 180 degrees of motion, while still maintaining stability and strength. Some of the most important muscles in the shoulder are actually the smallest. The rotator cuff is a series of 4 muscles that form a cuff around the glenohumeral joint.
Shoulder Pain can Disrupt your Everyday Life
Shoulder pain can present itself in many different ways. We may first notice pain and/or tightness when moving our arm in certain directions. Then, it may progress to where we 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.
Read full blogFeel a Pinching Sensation in Our Shoulder…
One common shoulder issue we may have experienced is called impingement. This is 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. Initially, this pinching may only be a discomfort or may not even produce pain, but with repetition, our rotator cuff muscles will become inflamed.
Read full blogHow to Cure Shoulder Discomfort
If you have shoulder impingement some discomfort you may experience include:
- Restricted ranges of motion
- Muscle weakness
- Pain when raising your arms, sleeping, or with overhead movements.
It is important to get this condition treated as soon as possible when symptoms are present, to avoid more significant injuries such as rotator cuff tears.
Shoulder impingement syndrome is a condition that occurs when the rotator-cuff tendons, ligaments, and bursa in the shoulder are pinched or compressed, resulting in pain and impaired movements.
How shoulder impingement occurs:
- Repetitive overhead movements, such as golfing, throwing, or swimming, or frequent overhead reaching and lifting
- Should injuries such as a fall or contact injury
- Poor posture and muscular weakness
- Joint tightness or structural abnormalities
- Osteoarthritis
Physical therapy is a great way to address these impairments and restore function if you suffer from shoulder impingement.
Ways that physical therapy can help with shoulder discomfort:
- Pain management
- Manual Therapy
- These techniques may include joint mobilizations, soft tissue massage, passive range-of-motion, and stretching.
- Range of Motion Exercises
- Strengthening Exercises
- Patient Education
- Patients will be educated on proper posture and mechanics that will decrease shoulder impingement.
- Function
- Patients will be educated and instructed on proper mechanics of specific functional activities such as throwing of lifting an object on a shelf.
Do not wait until your shoulder problems get worse to get treated.
Read full blogStrengthening Weak Shoulders
Repetitive overuse of muscles in your shoulders can lead to irritation of tendons. Some examples of common repetitive activities include:
- Gardening
- Yard work
- Throwing a baseball with your kids
- Carrying or lifting things
Shoulder irritation and discomfort can also be a result of falls, forceful contact with a person or object, or other sports related injuries.
Protecting and strengthening your shoulders:
- Keep your shoulder aligned: The number one reason for injury and pain in your shoulders is from poor posture.
When Washing Our Hair is Uncomfortable…
Shoulder discomfort such as, general tightness, achiness, sharp pain with specific movements, or inability to lift the weight of our arm comfortably or at all may limit our ability to do everyday things. We may have trouble doing things such as reach an overhead shelf, wash our hair, reach behind our back to tuck in our shirt, or even lift something simple like a grocery bag or throw a ball at practice. However, physical therapy could help to reduce that pain and discomfort you may be experiencing.
Read full blogHaving Trouble Lifting Your Arm to Brush Your Hair?
Some of the most common ailments related to the shoulder include tight/overworked muscles, tendonitis, impingement and, joint stiffness. All of these can cause pain, weakness, and decrease ability to perform everyday activities. It can limit our ability to get dressed because it may be difficult to raise your arms in order to pull a shirt over your head and brush your own hair.
Common Causes of Shoulder Injury
- Traumatic injury/dislocation
- Poor shoulder mechanics
- Post Surgery Posture, and muscle use imbalances can contribute to micro trauma and tendinitis, spasm, or the development of trigger points of the shoulder muscles.