4 Common Causes For Your Painful Shoulder

“My shoulder hurts! Now what?”

Shoulder pain can be bothersome and debilitating, leading to difficulty sleeping, inability to perform daily tasks, and forget about your favorite sports like golf and tennis!

THERE ARE MANY CAUSES FOR SHOULDER PAIN. WHERE DO YOU START?

The shoulder is made up of joints, tendons, and muscles that all combine to provide mobility to your arm. For this reason, it’s difficult to diagnose your condition using ‘Dr. Google’ because an in-person evaluation is needed.

WHAT IS AN IN-PERSON EVALUATION?

A full biomechanical evaluation begins with a one-on-one assessment of your shoulder. Our knowledgeable physical therapists assess how the shoulder joint and shoulder blade move with one another and whether the spine is impacting its movement.

Additionally, identifying any strength or weakness in the muscle is an important component that helps piece together the root cause of pain and create a tailored treatment plan.

Did you know? The nerves that innervate the shoulder actually stem from your neck. 

4 COMMON CAUSES FOR YOUR PAINFUL SHOULDER

1. Tendonitis: inflammation of the tendons
2. Bursitis: Inflammation of the bursa (fluid-filled pads that act as cushions for the joint)
3. Arthritis: inflammation of the joint; most commonly referred to as osteoarthritis
4. Fractures: complete or partial break in a bone; confirmed by imaging including x-rays

TREATING THE ROOT CAUSE OF SHOULDER PAIN

Sure, ice and anti-inflammatory medicine might initially treat the symptoms of your painful shoulder, but it’s important to remedy the underlying cause.

Using the findings from the biomechanical evaluation, our physical therapists can correct the shoulder mechanics using strengthening and mobilization techniques including dry needling, soft-tissue mobilization, and joint mobilization. Treatments for shoulder pain should also include stabilization of the thoracic spine, shoulder blade region, and the neck. Stabilizing the muscles, tendons, and joints will reduce shoulder pain and you’ll be back on the court or golf course in no time!

Schedule an evaluation with an experienced physical therapist today.