Shoulder pain can quite debilitative and restrictive for both every day activities and for the sporting populations especially in overhead athletes.
There are different types of shoulder pain that require different management and rehabilitation strategies. These may include:
- Subacromial Impingement Syndrome (also known as Bursitis)
- Tendinopathy
- Instability
- Glenoid labral pathology (SLAP lesion)
- Adhesive capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)
- AC- joint sprain or tear
- Tendon tear
- Referred pain from other structures in the area
As you can see there are numerous pathologies that can cause shoulder pain. An experienced physiotherapist will assist in determining the cause of your pain and address the contributing factors.
What you may feel / experience with shoulder pain:
- Sharp/ pinching pain with certain arm movement or positions
- Heavy aching pain through the arm
- Pain on waking in the morning
- Difficultly getting comfortable in bed
- Decreased range of motion
How can Physiotherapy help me?
Physiotherapy will help reduce your initial pain and then address the ever-important causative factors. These may include:
- Posture and upper back/ neck mobility
- Muscle strength or tightness
- Positioning and control of musculature around the shoulder blades
- Sporting technique
- General overload or repetitive movements
- Deficiency else where in the kinetic chain