Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain can encompass a range of conditions. Common things we hear are:

"I can't lie on my shoulder."

"I can't lift my arm."

"My shoulder dislocates whenever I throw."

"I get pain when I push something."

This can be very frustrating if the issue persists and can even get in the way of doing your job well or whatever else it is you love. The shoulder is the most mobile part of the human body. What this means is there is a lot that can go wrong and it is a common place where the body will compensate. To sum it up, effective treatment of shoulder pain needs a thorough assessment and skilled practitioner (especially if it's been going on for a while).

Some conditions that can affect the shoulder include:

Rotator cuff tear
Shoulder dislocation
Long head of bicep tendinopathy
Supraspinatus tendinopathy
AC joint injury
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
Subscapularis tendinopathy
Nerve entrapment
Brachial plexus lesion

The structures in the shoulder are often stressed from issues stemming from the neck, thorax, low back, pelvis, hips and even your feet! So it's no wonder that shoulder pain is a common complaint but sometimes isolated treatment to the shoulder will be ineffective. You often will need a whole body assessment that looks at previous injuries and other weak areas that your shoulder is compensating for. This is often why shoulder pain persists and can be why physio and massage that doesn't look holistically is commonly ineffective. Treatment can therefore include:

A whole body assessment to find the root of your problem
Hands on treatment to reduce load on the pain generating structure in your shoulder
An active rehabilitation program focusing on lifestyle modification, self management and strengthening to help you sleep pain free and restore shoulder function.
Taping to support your shoulder for pain relief

If you'd like to know more about strengthening your shoulders read this blog.

Learn more about how integrative physiotherapy can help you.