A common injury – rotator cuff tears
Your rotator cuff is comprised of the muscles and tendons surrounding your shoulder joint. Sometimes, the rotator cuff can become torn or injured, due to repetitive overhead motions like those performed in sports like tennis or certain jobs like carpentry. If you are experiencing a rotator cuff injury or “torn shoulder”, you will generally feel a dull ache deep in your shoulder, arm weakness, difficulty reaching behind your backs, and disturbed sleep due to pain. At Knox Physical Therapy, our natural and non-invasive methods can help relieve your shoulder pain and heal your rotator cuff injury.
While rotator cuff injuries sometimes require surgery if they are severe enough, there are several cases where physical therapy treatments can work just as well (if not better) than surgery. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, “A recent study from Finland asserts that when it comes to the treatment of nontraumatic rotator cuff tears, physical therapy alone
produces results equal to those produced by arthroscopic surgery and open surgical repair.” In this same study, a follow-up on 167 patients receiving physical therapy alone for their rotator cuff injuries, demonstrated that conservative treatment, such as physical therapy, should be considered as the primary treatment for this condition.
At Knox Physical Therapy, our physical therapists will conduct a physical evaluation and diagnostic tests to determine if you do indeed have a rotator cuff tear, and we will design a personalized treatment plan based on the needs of your diagnosis.
What’s causing my shoulder pain?
The complexities of the shoulder joint present many opportunities for pain-causing conditions. Some of the most common causes of shoulder pain include:
Impingement.
Impingement typically occurs because of abnormal movement and tracking of the humeral head as you lift your arm overhead. Pain typically starts when lifting your arm at or above 90 degrees.
Arthritis.
The two main forms of arthritis that affect the shoulder are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the shoulder joint experiences significant “wear and tear,” typically due to age or excessive overuse. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system decides to attack the membranes surrounding the shoulder joint, resulting in pain and inflammation. Both of these result in pain, loss of motion, weakness to the shoulder muscles, and difficulty performing normal, daily tasks.
Tendinitis.
Tendinitis occurs when the shoulder joint is excessively overused typically due to the demands of a laborious job, overhead activity, or sport. Furthermore, poor posture is a major contributor, as this alters the normal forces on the tendons, and can set you up for tendon injury. This causes the tendons to undergo ongoing inflammation, resulting in swelling and painful impingement when raising your arm.
Frozen shoulder.
Also known as “adhesive capsulitis,” frozen shoulder can occur if your arm has been in a cast or sling for a while, or if you have been bedridden for an extended period of time. It results in a painful loss of motion in the shoulder with a tightening of the shoulder joint that severely limits motion. There are some ethnicities that are more predisposed, and women tend to have more instances than men. Frozen shoulder is more common in women in the 40-60 years of age.
Rotator cuff tear.
The rotator cuff is comprised of 4 muscles, tendons, and soft tissue that surround the shoulder joint. The job of the rotator cuff is to correctly guide the movement of the shoulder joint. With injury, overuse, poor posture, or even age, the rotator cuff can be partially or completely torn. Depending on the severity and situation, sometimes surgery is needed, but often the correct physical therapy treatments can help reduce pain and restore strength to the rotator cuff to compensate for the partial tear. If surgery is needed, physical therapy is an integral part of the pre and post-surgical rehabilitation for a full recovery.
Wave Goodbye to Your Shoulder Pains!
Shoulder pain can take many forms – it can show up when you’re reaching toward the top shelf to put dishes away or when you’re struggling to find a comfortable position to sleep. It can show up as a result of an injury, making you feel a dull aching pain, or even make you feel as if your shoulder is immobile.
There are numerous reasons why you may be experiencing shoulder pain, and the severity can range from the temporary discomfort of a pulled muscle to the agonizing bone-on-bone friction of arthritis. Whatever the case may be, Knox Physical Therapy in Knoxville, TN is dedicated to offering you natural pain management modalities that can give relief to your shoulder pain quickly.
Why am I experiencing shoulder pain?
Your shoulder is capable of accomplishing many physical feats. It also has the greatest range of motion compared to all the joints in your body. However, with its complexities also comes the increased possibility of injury that causes shoulder pain and discomfort. As a “ball-and-socket” joint, the head of the upper arm bone, or “humerus,” fits perfectly in the corresponding space within the shoulder blade or “scapula.” Fortunately, the ends of the humerus are protected by a thick layer of cartilage, protecting the bones from rubbing together.
Fluid-filled sacs called “bursae” also protect the tendons from rubbing against the bones. Tendons attach the bones in the shoulder to a set of bones, known as the rotator cuff. If something goes wrong with the intricacies that make up the mechanical interplay of the shoulder, pain can result.
The type of pain you feel in your shoulder can vary, depending on what is causing it. Pain from impingement, for example, typically occurs as you raise your arm up, and begins at a certain point in the range of motion. Pain resulting from a degenerated shoulder may create persistent aches every time you move your arm in certain directions. Acute injuries can result in sudden and intense pains that make it impossible for you to move your shoulder at all.
Find relief for your shoulder pain today:
Physical therapy is a natural, easy, and comfortable way to find relief for shoulder pain, without the need for harmful drugs or invasive surgery. The physical therapists at Knox Physical Therapy have treated a number of conditions resulting in shoulder pain, with patients finding improvement and relief after just a few short sessions – and sometimes less!
Our physical therapists are movement experts, trained to pinpoint the cause of your pain through a variety of diagnostic techniques. During your evaluation, we will examine your range of motion, strength, coordination, your medical history, joint mobility, and mechanics of your joint motion.
Once we have established the cause of your shoulder pain, our physical therapists can create a specialized combination of physical therapy methods to manage and relieve your pain. Gentle manual therapy helps to restore normal joint movement, ease soft tissue restrictions, and promote circulation, while specific therapeutic exercises restore strength, and the correct sequence of muscle activation around the shoulder joint. Finally, we teach you techniques to enhance your strength and to prevent the recurrence of future shoulder problems.
Don’t let your shoulder pain limit your physical abilities any longer! Our physical therapy practice will get you the help you need to start living your normal life once again. Contact Knox Physical Therapy in Knoxville, TN today to schedule your appointment and get started on your path toward pain relief.
Kevin M.
I’ve been going to Dr. Lee now for about three months for a left shoulder/neck soreness, tightness, throbbing to the point where this discomfort nearly cost me my life. Let me explain…
Life Doesn’t Have to be a Pain in the Neck!
Neck pain can cause debilitating and extremely uncomfortable sensations, especially if the pain stretches from your neck down to your shoulders. According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), approximately one-third of the population will experience neck pain in any given year. It can get worse if left untreated, and in severe cases, surgery may even be needed.
Your neck is an integral area of everyday movement, and sharp pains can prevent you from functioning properly in your day-to-day life. Whether your pain presents difficulty when trying to sit up straight in your chair at work or tilting your head down to tie your shoes, physical therapy can help give you relief. Many people are able to find relief from their neck pain every year through the help of physical therapy. Our [all-dan-town] physical therapy practice is dedicated to providing you with the neck pain relief you need.
Understanding neck pain:
There are a number of reasons why this pain may occur. When you experience neck pain, it typically can run from the base of your skull to the top of your shoulder blades, finally settling in the back of the neck. The pain may vary in severity, from a constant dull ache to sharp and stabbing pains. This pain can sometimes include additional symptoms, including but not limited to:
- Stiffness and muscle tightness in the upper body
- Numbness or tingling into the upper extremities
- Headaches
- Discomfort and pain when remaining in the same position for too long
- Arm weakness
- Loss of sleep due to pain and discomfort
- Inability to fully stand up or sit up straight
Common conditions causing neck pain:
Neck pain is most commonly caused by an injury to the tissues or bone structures in the neck; however, certain degenerative conditions can also lead to this pain. Some common conditions that give you pain in your neck include:
- Injuries. Whiplash, typically sustained by an automobile or high-impact sports collision, is one of the most common injuries that results in this pain. This is known as a “strain” injury, causing the head to whip rapidly back-and-forth, thus affecting the soft tissues in the back of the neck.
- Illnesses. Certain diseases and ailments can result in this pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis, or cancer.
- Nerve compression. If you have a herniated disc in your neck, or narrowing of the foramen (space where the nerves exit the spine), the nerves that branch out from your spinal cord can become compressed. In some cases, nerve pain can even extend from the neck all the way down to the hands and fingers — a condition known as “radiculopathy.”
- Muscle strains. The muscles in your neck can become strained by overuse. Even something as simple as sitting at your desk all day with your neck craned toward the computer screen can lead to a strain in your neck muscles.
- Joint degeneration. Much like any other joint in your body, the neck joints can erode with age, causing pain. Conditions such as osteoarthritis can also reduce the cartilage between the vertebrae in the neck, also resulting in neck pain.
Get started on your neck pain relief today:
Physical therapy is one of the best methods for treating this pain. At Knox Physical Therapy, our physical therapists conduct an initial physical evaluation to analyze the range of motion in your neck, as well as any limitations you have due to your pain. They will then create a diagnosis that will determine the make-up of your treatment plan. You will work together to understand the goals and expectations of each treatment step, with the main focus being overcoming this pain and recovering as quickly as possible.
Treatments for your pain will most likely include manual or “hands-on” therapy, which consists of special techniques designed to reduce the stiffness of your neck and improve its range of motion. Our physical therapists will also provide you with targeted exercises that will strengthen, build, and improve the muscles and tissues in your neck. We will focus on improving your posture to aid in the recovery of your neck muscles, as well as avoiding re-injury in the future. Additional treatment services may include ice and heat therapy, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation, as our physical therapist deems fit.
Don’t let your pain cause any more discomfort. Contact Knox Physical Therapy to speak with one of our licensed physical therapists in Knoxville, TN today and schedule your appointment! We will help you get started on the road toward long-lasting pain relief.
