Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal problem after low back and neck pain and is a considerable issue among the general and sporting populations.  Shoulder injuries can occur from a variety of ways including from collisions in sport or from accidents such as falling or can become painful from more insidious ways or from overuse.  Some of the most common injuries that we see in clinic include rotator cuff related shoulder pain including tears, tendon problems, other issues include shoulder instability/dislocations, frozen shoulder, biceps tendon issues, osteoarthritis etc.

Shoulder pain can have a massive impact on our lives and can affect everyday tasks such as cooking, and cleaning, and can have a profound impact on the quality of our sleep. Symptoms can range from pain to weakness to stiffness or a combination of any of these.

The vast majority of these can be managed effectively with physiotherapy and respond well to activity modification, patient education/advice and exercise-based interventions such as range of motion/stretching and strengthening exercises, with or without adjunctive treatments such as manual therapy, acupuncture etc.  However, it is very important that you are assessed to determine the factors affecting your pain and on how to best manage it for that individual.

If you have a shoulder issue that is affecting your daily life, make an appointment to see of one of our physiotherapists.

Author: Jake Wall