Steven A.
Farrah
Shoulder Pain Relief
You reach for a jar on a high shelf. Start to lift a bag of groceries. Or simply go to put on your coat. Then, “OW!!!” These ordinary activities can send a searing bolt of pain through your shoulder and stop you in your tracks. It’s bad enough when it happens once or twice, as with a temporary sprain. When it’s an ongoing issue, chronic shoulder pain severely limits your activities and makes everyday living far less enjoyable.
What Causes Shoulder Pain?
The shoulder is an amazing, complicated joint composed of an intricate mix of ligaments, tendons, muscle, and bone. Parts of this beautifully-complex design extend through parts of your back and down into your arm. Many different things can trigger varying degrees of shoulder pain. Of course, the worst kind occurs when you trip and fall onto your shoulder, suffer a car or sports accident, or something equally drastic. Those mishaps can cause a serious fracture which may require surgery.
Outside of that, there are more benign causes of shoulder pain resulting from ordinary activities. While not as serious, these instances are no less limiting or uncomfortable. Thankfully, these can be addressed with less invasive healing measures like physical therapy.
“Physical therapy” is a broad term encompassing many kinds of treatment, from strength exercises to various forms of gentle tissue manipulation. Since 1992, Hands-On Physical Therapy has specialized in providing our patients with the most effective, up-to-date therapies for alleviating pain.
Let’s start with the most common forms of chronic shoulder pain.
- Bursitis. “Bursa” are little fluid-filled sacs that act as cushions to reduce friction atop tissue, tendons or bone. Basically, they help things glide smoothly over each other. Bursa sit within the shoulder blades; if they get injured or pinched, the result is shoulder pain. One indicator of bursitis: you may notice redness or swelling around the tip of your shoulder.
- Frozen Shoulder. The name says it all: your shoulder is either “stuck” or severely limited in range. Simple, everyday movements like reaching for your back pocket or putting on a shirt become nearly impossible. We still don’t know exactly what causes “frozen shoulder,” but it’s likely a build-up of scar tissue around the shoulder muscles coupled with inflammation.
- Rotator Cuff Tendonitis. Without getting into an anatomy lesson, there are four main muscles beneath the shoulder blade. They support the rotator cuff, the part of the shoulder socket that allows for range of motion. If those muscles get pinched or become inflamed from repetitive overhead motions (like painting, carpentry, tennis or even golf), you’ll feel it every time you try to move your shoulder. This shoulder pain is different from a rotator cuff tear (which you’ll feel immediately) and it tends to worsen over time.
Happily, we’ve found that these forms of chronic shoulder pain respond very well to targeted physical therapy techniques. Hands-On Physical Therapy are the experts in healing shoulder pain through personalized, proven therapeutic techniques.
Stop living with discomfort. Let’s get you started on the path to feeling great again! Here’s our process.
Advanced Diagnostics Find The Precise Cause of Shoulder Pain
When you’re experiencing chronic shoulder pain, you want to be rid of it and get your life back to normal as soon as possible.
Hands-On Physical Therapy differs from other practices because we start your healing process with something very few do at the outset: we conduct precise diagnostic tests. These tests allow us to determine exactly what’s causing your particular shoulder pain and then provide the most effective therapies to heal it.
We don’t rely on hunches, speculation, or educated guesses; before we ever begin your treatment, we get to the root cause. That starts you on the path to wellness much faster. You won’t waste time (or money) waiting for results – and relief.
Our “diagnostics-first” policy offers these critical advantages:
- Saves you time and money
- Reveals exactly what’s causing your shoulder pain
- Determines the most effective course of treatment
- Provides accuracy in treating your pain
- Answers your questions and provides peace of mind
Expert Physical Therapy Relieves and Resolves Shoulder Pain
Your journey to being pain-free starts with a consultation with one of our experienced physical therapists. You’ll be asked what kinds of things trigger your shoulder pain. A few tests will determine your current strength and range of motion. After that, our cutting-edge diagnostic tests (as mentioned above) reveal the root cause of your shoulder pain.
This combined information helps your therapist to formulate a personalized, highly-effective treatment plan.
While each plan is carefully tailored to individual needs, typical elements include soft tissue massage, laser therapy, and other manual treatments. The different parts of your particular plan build on each other to gently alleviate your shoulder pain. You’ll also be given specific exercises to improve your overall shoulder function; those may or may not include simple strength training moves.
The end result?
- Greatly-reduced (or eliminated) pain
- A shoulder structure better able to withstand the stressors that triggered your pain
- Increased mobility
Before you know, you’ll be back to doing the things you love!
FAQS
There are many factors. Sudden injury, such as from a car accident, is one cause and may require surgery. Overuse of muscles and tendons, repetitive motions, and arthritis are less serious, but are among the most common triggers for chronic shoulder pain.
Shoulder pain basically falls into two categories: acute and chronic. Acute pain happens from a single incident (like a sprain or sudden tear). Pain is considered “chronic” if it lasts for three or more months. Typically, chronic shoulder pain results from overuse or repetitive movements (think sports like tennis and baseball, gardening, or construction).
Physical therapy is a proven form of treatment that can both alleviate pain and strengthen your shoulder structure for better long-term function. The best part? Physical therapy can help you avoid the need for pain-relieving drugs or surgery. Plus, if you’ve already had shoulder surgery, the right kind of physical therapy will help you heal faster and restore range of motion.
It depends on your particular condition. Your physical therapist will create a plan that incorporates exercises to relieve pain, increase flexibility, and strengthen the musculature supporting the shoulder. Resistance bands, strength training, and modified push-ups may be part of your routine. However, all exercises should be done under the supervision of your therapist, especially if your shoulder pain is severe.
Schedule Your Hands-On Physical Therapy Appointment Today!
Chronic shoulder pain doesn’t have to define your daily life. Our proven therapeutic treatments can change everything! Contact Hands-On Physical Therapy for more information about what we do or to book an appointment at one of our convenient locations in the greater New York City area: Astoria, the Bronx, Queens Village, or Hicksville.
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