Are you having difficulty sleeping at night because of shoulder pain? Or having difficulty completing simple things like carrying groceries, throwing a ball and combing your hair? If you said yes, you may have a shoulder injury.
Living with shoulder pain is not easy and can be quite debilitating. A systematic review of general population studies reported that 1 in 5 adults are living with some form of a shoulder injury and that as much as 2 out of 3 people will develop shoulder pain within their lifetime.1 Furthermore, individuals that work in manual labor jobs or participate in competitive sports are at a higher risk of shoulder injuries.1
Your shoulder joint is very complex due to all the working parts, including bones, muscles, and ligaments, that provide function. The shoulder joint is comprised of the head of the upper arm (humerus) and your shoulder blade (scapula), which are held together by a fibrous sheath of connective tissue called a capsule. Additionally, the rotator cuff muscles work in concurrence with each other to provide movement and stability. Shoulder injuries often arise when the shoulder joint sacrifices stability for more mobility. Pain is a great reminder that something is not right.
What causes shoulder pain?
There are many causes to shoulder pain, ranging from awkward pull and pushes to direct trauma to the shoulder like a fall or a blow to the joint by an external object. Sometimes shoulder pain can be what is called “referral pain”. This is when the pain felt in the shoulder is not caused by a problem in the shoulder but instead form another region of the body like your neck, chest or back.
Depending on your symptoms and mechanism of injury, you may have one of the following:
| Rotator cuff injuries
Ligament strains and tears |
Shoulder impingement
Thoracic outlet syndrome |
Bursitis
Shoulder instability |
So how can Physiotherapy help?
Physiotherapy has been a well-supported and effective treatment option in healthcare. From our College of Physiotherapy of Ontario, physiotherapy provides treatment to help restore, maintain and make the most of a patient’s mobility, function and well-being.
Here at A Body In Motion our Physiotherapists are movement specialist and have specialized training to assess your shoulder, treat your injury and help you get back to your normal activities. Don’t let your shoulder pain limit what you can do, come see us today so that we can help you get back to the things you love!!