Physiotherapy for Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain can come from several different structures—muscles, tendons, joints, or nerves. The shoulder is one of the most mobile (and therefore vulnerable) joints in the body. There are many muscles associated with the shoulder joint and often a small problem left untreated can lead to a larger problem due to compensation. Shoulder muscle strains can be caused by repetitive movements. Lifting, sports, or even desk work can overload the shoulder muscles, leading to soreness or tightness. The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles and tendons that stabilize your shoulder. Irritation or injury here is very common and may present as rotator cuff tendinitis or a rotator cuff tear. Other common causes of shoulder pain and dysfunction include frozen shoulder, tendon impingement, poor posture, sports injuries and arthritis. Sometimes the pain isn’t actually from the shoulder itself. Issues in the neck (like cervical radiculopathy) can send pain down into the shoulder. Shoulder pain should be addressed as soon as possible if you lose mobility (can’t lift your arm), experience pain for more than a few days, feel weak or experience numbness or tingling in the shoulder, arm or hand.

Physiotherapy is one of the most effective ways to treat shoulder pain because it focuses on restoring how your shoulder moves and functions not just reducing pain.  Good movement patterns lead to healthy, happy shoulders.