Health blog Category: shoulder pain
Subacromial Pain Syndrome
Subacromial Pain Syndrome is the preferred alternate physical therapy diagnosis for “Shoulder Impingement.” It was previously believed that structural differences and a loss of space between joint surfaces was the cause of shoulder pain located towards the front/side of the shoulder in absence of known tears in the rotator cuff (group of muscles that hold your shoulder in the socket) or glenoid labrum (a cup that increases coverage over the shoulder bone). Thanks to Evidence Based Medicine, we now know that the experience of shoulder pain isn’t so closely related to the shape of your bones, which is great news. Bone shapes don’t change easily.
What is Subacromial pain syndrome:
It is pain located in the front or to the side of your shoulder and often a precursor for rotator cuff pathology (strains or tears of the rotator cuff muscle at the point of attachment around the front and side of your shoulder).
Read full blogRotator Cuff Trouble
An irritated shoulder with certain motions or when we sleep, is a sign our rotator cuff could be giving us trouble.
Strength and stability of the rotator cuff is needed to relieve that pain or irritation and to help us complete all of our daily activities such as:
- Brushing our hair
- Brushing our teeth
- Lifting objects overhead
- Throwing a baseball
Rotator Cuff Anatomy
The rotator cuff is the group of four muscles that surround your shoulder joint, guiding and controlling the way your shoulder moves.
Read full blogShoulder Fractures
Fractures at the top part of the shoulder are very common.
The risk of fracturing the shoulder increases with age for various reasons:
- Increase in balance issues with age
- More common to have osteoporosis
- Lack of physical activity leading to weaker muscles in the winter
- Increased number of people over the age of 65 with osteoporosis
How do the above lead to more fractures?
The more inactive you are, the weaker your muscles become because of disuse. When your muscles are weak, your balance becomes affected which increases your risk of falling. Then there is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis involves a decrease in new bone formation while the body is continuing to break down bone. This results in more brittle bones and a more increased risk of fracture when a fall occurs.
How do you know that you may have a shoulder fracture?
Read full blogShoulder Dislocations
What is a shoulder dislocation?
The shoulder joint is called a ball-and-socket joint. The ball is the rounded top of the bone in the upper arm (humerus), which fits into the socket — the cup-shaped outer part of the shoulder blade. When the top of the humerus moves out of its usual location in the shoulder joint, the shoulder is said to be dislocated. A related injury called a shoulder subluxation occurs when the top of the humerus is only partially displaced and not totally out of its socket.
Read full blogRotator Cuff Tears
We often hear about the rotator cuff (RTC) and how much pain and annoyance it can cause a person. Unfortunately, most people are not given good education on the actual causes, prognosis, and anatomy of the rotator cuff. Below are some examples of causes for rotator cuff tears, anatomy of the rotator cuff, and how best to address the rotator cuff tear.
Anatomy of the RTC
The rotator cuff is a combination of a few smaller muscles of the shoulder including:
- Supraspinatus
- Infraspinatus
- Subscapularis
- Teres Minor
These muscles help with rotating the arm up and back.
Read full blogWhat is a “frozen shoulder”?
Frozen shoulder is a condition where your shoulder joint becomes painful and stiff, usually resulting from lack of motion or use. The medical term for this is “adhesive capsulitis.” Simply put, your shoulder capsule (which is a connective tissue structure that surrounds your bones and muscles of your shoulder) has tightened up and is restricting your ability to move the shoulder freely.
How do I know if I have developed frozen shoulder?
Read full blogCommon Shoulder Injuries for Non-Athletes
Many of us out there have not played much sport in our lives or have only done it very infrequently. In that case, we are not always subject to many of the injuries that athletes or weekend warriors are subject to most often. In this blog, I’ll talk about some common injuries for those of us who are not often on the court or field.
Shoulder Impingement:
This term refers to a phenomenon that happens in the shoulder joint where your upper arm bone, or humerus, your collarbone and shoulder blade are pinching some of the structures that lie in between them.
This can happen because of many factors:
- bone spurs on the shoulder blade or collar bone near where your humerus/upper arm bone is.
Freezing, Frozen, Thawing
Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, is a common shoulder issue that involves the first layer around the shoulder joint called the joint capsule. The capsule begins to thicken and tighten around the joint. It’s pretty typical to see a gradual loss of motion in the shoulder accompanied by pain in multiple motions.
Stages of a Frozen Shoulder:
Frozen shoulder involves three different stages. Each stage may take up to a few months:
Freezing: Pain starts to occur and the range of motion of the shoulder begins to decrease.
Avoiding Shoulder Injuries from Repetitive Movements
Shoulder issues like pain and weaknesses are some of the most common reasons people seek help from a physical therapist. This joint is held together by an extensive group of muscles and ligaments that can be weakened by certain repetitive movements.
Most of the problems that occur with the shoulder actually involve the:
- Muscles
- Tendons
- Ligaments
rather than the bones.
It’s not surprising that because of how much movement the shoulder has, athletes are more susceptible to shoulder injuries due to repetitive overhead training that many sports require.
Reaching into Our Cabinets Shouldn’t be a Problem
When reaching above shoulder height or across the body as we do when reaching into a cabinet or washing our hair, the acromion (which is an aspect of the shoulder blade) may rub against a tendon and this could result in pain. This is known as shoulder impingement.
Causes of shoulder impingement:
- Overuse Injuries
- Strain in our Shoulder
- Poor posture
- Disuse
- Sleeping on affected side
- Repetitive motions such as lifting boxes, playing tennis, or picking up your kids
Symptoms you may experience:
- Painful arc – pain when reaching above shoulder height
- This includes reaching up to get something out of the cabinet or top of the closet.
