Shoulder
The shoulder is a very mobile joint with a large range of movement in multiple planes. Because of this high mobility it is one of the less stable joints in the body (stability is sacrificed for mobility), and so it is one of the more commonly injured joints.
Various structures may be affected including muscles, ligaments, tendons, cartilage and the joint itself.
What are the common causes of shoulder pain?
Shoulder pain is often associated with repeated activities that involve moving the arm above shoulder height such as tennis, swimming, weights at the gym (eg shoulder press, bench press), and various work or home activities that involve reaching up or out to shelves or cupboards. Other more traumatic injuries may be falls during contact sports like football, where tendons may be pinched or the joint itself may be dislocated. Shoulder pain is also often associated with problems in the neck and so may be related to spending long hours sitting at desks using computers.
The most important stabilising system in the shoulder joint is a group of four muscles called the rotator cuff. Because of the shoulder joint’s high degree of mobility this muscular mechanism is extremely important and relatively delicate. If it is damaged it usually needs specific physio treatments to get things back on track. Once the diagnosis is established and inflammation settles, your Physio will use a combination of hands-on techniques linked with specific exercises to restore the strength in your rotator cuff as well as other muscle groups.
Posture plays an important role in keeping your shoulder in the right position so your physio may also work with you to improve this. Any other factors that may be relevant will also be discussed e.g. stretches for sport, correcting your desk position at work, varying your swimming stroke and checking your technique for the gym. If you have had recurrent or long-lasting episodes of shoulder pain then correcting these underlying factors and restoring optimal strength to your rotator cuff and associated muscles is usually the key to breaking out of the pain cycle to achieve lasting relief.
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