Shoulder pain
At Active Kare Physical Therapy, we take a holistic approach to treating shoulder pain, and our treatment plans are always personalized to meet your unique needs.
What Is Shoulder Pain ?
Shoulder pain is a common problem that can significantly impact your daily life, making simple tasks uncomfortable or even impossible. Whether you’re struggling with reaching overhead, lifting objects, or performing activities like dressing yourself or picking up your children or grandchildren, shoulder pain can interfere with your ability to live fully. It’s especially challenging for people with physically demanding jobs that require lifting heavy items, as well as athletes who rely on their shoulders for sports performance. Shoulder pain can also affect your ability to work out and stay strong, limiting your fitness routine and strength-building activities.
Over time, shoulder pain can be disabling, making it hard to do everyday tasks, and even leading to emotional distress. When you can’t perform the basic activities you once took for granted, it can lead to frustration and a diminished quality of life. In some cases, shoulder pain can even cause feelings of depression, as it affects your ability to care for your family, complete household chores, or excel at work. Regardless of the cause, it’s clear that shoulder pain can be a major barrier to enjoying life and staying active.
What Are The Symptoms Of Shoulder Pain ?
Shoulder pain can present itself in several ways, and the symptoms will vary depending on the underlying cause. Some of the most common signs of shoulder pain include:
- Restricted movement: It may become difficult to raise your arm, reach overhead, or lift objects, causing everyday tasks like dressing or reaching for items to become painful.
- Discomfort in specific activities: Shoulder pain can make it challenging to play sports, especially those that require overhead motions, like tennis or swimming.
- Pain during physical tasks: If you have a physically demanding job or are lifting heavy objects, you might feel a deep ache or sharp pain in your shoulder, which limits your ability to complete your work.
- Stiffness and tightness: You may experience a general feeling of tightness around the shoulder joint, making it uncomfortable to move.
- Radiating pain: In some cases, shoulder pain may radiate down your arm, making it difficult to move or use your arm as normal.
If any of these symptoms sound familiar, it’s important to address shoulder pain early on before it becomes more severe and begins to affect your daily life.
What Is Our Approach To Fixing Shoulder Pain ?
At Active Kare Physical Therapy, we take a holistic approach to treating shoulder pain, and our treatment plans are always personalized to meet your unique needs. The first step is understanding the underlying cause of the pain. During your initial visit, we will perform a thorough evaluation to determine whether the issue is related to joint fixation, muscle strain, tendon injuries, or another condition. By understanding the cause, we can then create a tailored treatment plan that addresses your specific symptoms.
In some cases, shoulder pain may require immediate attention from an orthopedic doctor, especially if it’s caused by a severe injury like a rotator cuff tear or a dislocated shoulder. If we determine that the issue is something we can address at our clinic, we will guide you through a series of treatments designed to restore movement and alleviate pain.
Our treatment approach focuses on improving your shoulder’s mobility, flexibility, and strength. Here are some of the techniques we use to help relieve shoulder pain and promote recovery:
- Manual therapy: This hands-on approach helps release muscle tension, improve joint mobility, and reduce stiffness in the shoulder joint. By applying specific techniques, we can target areas of restriction and increase your range of motion.
- Strengthening exercises: Strengthening the muscles around the shoulder is essential for stabilizing the joint and preventing future injuries. We will guide you through exercises designed to build strength in the shoulder muscles, helping to reduce strain and protect the joint.
- Postural adjustments: Poor posture, particularly from sitting or standing in one position for too long, can contribute to shoulder pain. We’ll help you identify any postural issues and provide exercises or adjustments to reduce strain on the shoulder.
- Ergonomics: For those who work in jobs that require repetitive overhead motions or heavy lifting, we may recommend changes to your workstation or work habits to reduce strain on the shoulder. This can include adjusting the height of your desk, chair, or computer monitor to support better posture and minimize stress on the shoulder.
Download Our free Report
If you’re experiencing shoulder pain and wondering how to manage it, we invite you to download our free report. This resource provides valuable information on the common causes of shoulder pain and effective treatment options. By learning more about your condition, you can take the first step toward recovery and start addressing your pain in a meaningful way.