We will all suffer from shoulder pain at some point, but if your pain and discomfort is persistent it maybe time to see your doctor.
Stiffness, weakness, or pain in your shoulder can make everyday activities like brushing your teeth, getting dressed, cooking, driving or even brushing your hair very difficult and painful.
Common reasons for shoulder pain are:
- Rotator cuff injury – this is when you have inflammation and/or a tear in the tendons and muscles in your shoulder
- Osteoarthritis – this is the most common form of arthritis that many of us suffer from. It happens when the cartilage that cushions your bones wears down over time, causing wear and tear
- Pinched nerve in the neck or shoulder– this can happen when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by its surrounding tissues
- Frozen shoulder – this is a stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint that normally begins gradually and gets worse over time before it eases again
- Injury due to repetitive use – this is often a gradual build-up of damage to your tendons, nerves and muscles that happens from repetitive motion
- Dislocated shoulder – this is an injury when your upper bone pops out of its socket
- Torn cartilage – this is when the cartilage found around your bones within the joint tears
How can physiotherapy help?
When seeing your physiotherapist, they will want to find the reason for your pain, so they will take a full medical history and will carry out a physical examination.
They will try and feel for any swelling or tenderness in your shoulder, and will also look at your range of motion and joint stability.
Questions your physiotherapist may ask you to help determine the cause of your pain:
- When did the pain begin, was it sudden? If so, do you remember what you were doing at that time?
- Is the pain in one or two shoulders?
- Is it a dull or sharp pain?
- Can you lift your arms up without pain?
- Does the pain get worse as the day goes on?
- Does the pain keep you awake at night?
- Does anything you do make it feel better or worse?
- Can you pinpoint where the pain is coming from?
After your initial assessment with one of our physiotherapists, they will talk you through a rehabilitation programme that has been individually tailored to your needs, that will get you on the road to recovery. If our physiotherapists feel that the progress being made is minimal, they may decide to refer you on to see a shoulder specialist for some diagnostic testing to be carried out.
Call Home Physio Group on 0330 335 1016 to find out how physiotherapy can help you with your shoulder pain and to speak to one of our friendly case managers today.