Shoulder Pain Relief
The Simple Solution for Shoulder Pain Relief
Shoulder pain can present itself in a number of ways. You may feel it when you’re reaching to the top shelf to grab a glass or when you can’t seem to get comfortable at night, no matter how you try to adjust your sleeping position. Shoulder pain may occur as a result of an injury, leaving you with an immobile shoulder. The number of reasons why you may be experiencing shoulder pain is vast. Shoulder pain may range from a temporary discomfort of a pulled muscle to the agonizing bone-on-bone friction of arthritis. Fortunately, our San Anselmo or Novato physical therapy practice is equipped with the necessary methods and modalities for treating your shoulder pain. If you have been struggling with shoulder pain and you are looking for relief, contact Sport and Spine Therapy of Marin today to schedule your appointment and find out how our services can benefit you!
Why do I have shoulder pain?
Your shoulder is a complex part of the body. It is known as a “ball-and-socket joint,” meaning that the humerus (head of the upper arm bone) fits perfectly in the corresponding space within the scapula (shoulder blade). The ends of the bone are protected by a thick layer of cartilage, preventing the bones from rubbing together. Fluid-filled sacs known as bursae also protect the tendons from rubbing against the bones. Your tendons attach a set of muscles that are known as the rotator cuff to the bones in the shoulder. The rotator cuff is responsible for producing and controlling motion in the shoulder.
Because of the shoulder’s many complexities, it is capable of achieving a large number of physical feats; however, it is also susceptible to an increased risk of pain and discomfort. There is a lot that goes on in the physical make-up of the shoulder, and if something goes wrong with its mechanical interplay, pain can result. Shoulder pain may range from a dull ache to a shooting pain, depending on how the pain developed.
Pain from tendon impingement typically occurs as you raise your arm up, but stops before the arm is raised completely skyward. Pain that has developed from a degenerated shoulder may create persistent aches every time you move your arm in certain directions. Acute injuries can result in sudden and intense pains that make it impossible for you to move your shoulder at all.
How did my shoulder pain develop?
Due to the complexities of the shoulder, there are several pain-causing conditions that may occur. WebMD states that some of the most common causes of shoulder pain are:
- Dislocation. Dislocations occur when the head of the humerus pops out of place. This type of injury has been reported as being extremely painful, and it’s unfortunately something that you become more vulnerable to after the first dislocation occurs.
- Tendinitis. Tendinitis in the shoulder joint occurs when the joint is excessively overused. Symptoms include swelling and painful impingement while raising the affected arm. This typically happens due to the demands of a sport or labor-intensive job, which can cause the tendons to experience ongoing inflammation.
- Frozen shoulder. Medically referred to as “adhesive capsulitis,” frozen shoulder can occur if you have been bedridden for an extended period of time or if your arm has been in a cast or sling for a while. When you don’t have opportunities to exercise the shoulder, the tissues can stiffen up on you, thus causing this painful condition to occur.
- Arthritis. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two most common types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the shoulder joint experiences significant “wear and tear,” typically due to age or excessive overuse. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system sees the joints as a threat. The immune system attacks the membranes surrounding the shoulder joint, resulting in pain and inflammation.
Contact Sport and Spine Therapy of Marin for relief:
The simple solution for shoulder pain relief is physical therapy. It is a comfortable, safe, and natural way to alleviate your shoulder pain. In many cases, physical therapy treatments have even been able to eliminate the need for harmful pain-management drugs or surgical intervention. Our San Anselmo or Novato physical therapists are movement experts, experienced in treating a number of conditions that cause shoulder pain. At Sport and Spine Therapy of Marin, you may find improvement and relief after just a few short physical therapy sessions – and sometimes less!
Our physical therapists are trained to pinpoint the cause of your pain through a variety of diagnostic techniques. Muscle strength and flexibility, joint mobility, and posture will all be evaluated as contributing factors to your condition . Range of motion tests may also be conducted in order to discover which of your soft tissues are contributing to your pain.
Once the root of your shoulder pain has been determined, our physical therapists will design a treatment plan based on your individual needs. This will typically include gentle exercises, which have proven to ease the pain of osteoarthritis and reduce the stiffness of frozen shoulder. They may also include more specialized techniques, such as ice and heat therapies, muscle re-education, stretching, taping, or ergonomics. Strengthening programs may also be implemented as a way to rehabilitate injured muscles or help stabilize a shoulder that is prone to dislocation.
If you are suffering from shoulder pain, Contact Sport and Spine Therapy of Marin today in Novato, San Anselmo & Marin County, CA to secure your appointment and get started on the path toward recovery!
FAQs
What is the best exercise for shoulder pain?
While there is no one-stop solution for shoulder pain, there are many exercises that can be done to help strengthen the rotator cuff region and ease the pain you are expereincing. Our physical therapists are highly trained to help improve the flexibility and range of motion in your shoulder, in addition to relieving your pain and discomfort. This will be done through an individualized treatment plan designed specifically for you, including therapeutic modalities and targeted pain-relief exercises. A couple common rotator cuff-strengthening exercises that physical therapists prescribe are wall push-ups and chair push-ups. Resistance bands can also be used to increase the strength in your shoulder and help relieve pain. However, it is important to note that if your pain is serious, these exercises should not be performed without the aid of a physical therapist.
How many types of shoulder pain exist?
When it comes to your upper extremities, injuries typically fall into two categories: acute or overuse. Acute injuries are caused by a single specific incident, such as a strain or tear. Overuse injuries are caused by excessive repetitive movements over time. Both acute and overuse injuries can range from mild to severe and can have a significant impact on daily life function. Shoulder pain can also be chronic, meaning it has persisted for 3 months or longer, despite efforts to relieve it. If you have been living with chronic shoulder pain, it is in your best interest to consult with a physical therapist as soon as possible, so they can get to the root of the problem and treat you accordingly.
Can physical therapy help shoulder pain?
Two of the biggest goals of physical therapy are 1) to alleviate your pain and 2) to improve your function. Your physical therapist will work with you to make sure that both of these are achieved throughout your physical therapy sessions. Physical therapy has been proven to manage the pain of several conditions, and in many cases, it has even been proven to eliminate shoulder pain altogether, thus making the need for harmful drugs or surgical intervention obsolete.
What are the causes of shoulder pain?
There are several underlying causes that could result in shoulder pain. For example, a sudden injury or trauma to the shoulders can cause them to become painful. Repetitive motions can also cause shoulder pain, as your muscles, joints, and tendons are working in overdrive. While there are multiple factors that could be causing your shoulder pain, some of the most common include sprains, strains, a torn cartilage, dislocation, frozen shoulder, tendinitis, and arthritis.
