View More Conditions
Shoulder
Click on the body parts or the list below to find out more about your pain and how physical therapy can help.
- Sports Injuries
About Sports Injuries
Whether you are a professional athlete, high school athlete or just like to be active and play sports, injuries can occur. Many shoulder sports injuries occur because of a fall onto an outstretched arm or from repetitive overhead actions, such as swimming or tennis. Another reason for shoulder sports injuries is an imbalance which can occur in certain groups of the shoulder muscles if one group of muscles is stronger than another. For example, an athlete that has strong chest muscles, but weak rotator cuff muscles can put themselves at risk of injury.
How physical therapy helps
Our physical therapists are experts at caring for and rehabilitating sports injuries. Our goal is to rehabilitate you back to your favorite sports activities pain-free as quickly and safely as possible. Sports injuries require unique care and rehabilitation, therefore, know that you are in the right hands with us. From mild sprains to recovery after surgery, we have you covered. Call us today to discover how we can get you back in the game quickly!
- Bursitis / Tendonitis
What is Bursitis / Tendonitis?
The ending of the word “itis” is defined as inflammation. Therefore, bursitis is inflammation of a bursa and tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon. A bursa is a fluid filled sac that sits between muscles or tissues to cushion and reduce friction. In the shoulder there is a rather large bursa between the deltoid muscle and joint. This is called the sub-deltoid bursa. This bursa can often become inflamed due to abnormal joint movements, poor posture and weakness of the surrounding musculature. This causes strain to the tissues and excessive friction on the bursa. People tend to feel pain with movement and especially movement out to the side or reaching behind them.
Tendons connect muscles to bones. In the shoulder common areas for tendonitis are in the rotator cuff tendons (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis) and bicep tendons. Pain can be felt deep in the shoulder or in the front of the shoulder. Pain is usually felt as a sharp, catching sensation with certain movements.
How physical therapy helps
Physical therapy is the first line of conservative treatment for bursitis and tendonitis. Since most bursitis and tendonitis is due to underlying abnormal mechanics of movement and weakness, our trained physical therapists evaluate your movement to pinpoint the exact source of the trouble. Modalities may be used to alleviate pain and discomfort, while hands-on therapy improves joint mechanics and movement.
Finally, gentle strengthening exercises and joint coordination exercises help to restore stability to the affected area and to prevent re–occurrence of the symptoms. Call us today to discover how we can help you relieve your shoulder pain quickly and get back to the activities you enjoy!
- Post-surgery Rehab
About Shoulder Post-surgery Rehab
There are a variety of shoulder surgeries that may have to be done in order to stabilize the shoulder, repair damaged tendons or ligaments. With the advances in arthroscopic surgery, recovery times for shoulder injuries have improved, however physical therapy is still needed to reduce pain quickly, restore range of motion, improve strength and return the individual to the normal activities they like to do.
How physical therapy helps
Post-surgery recovery can be difficult on sleeping, bathing, dressing and many other normal daily activities we take for granted. Our physical therapists work with you to teach you how to adapt to these activities of daily living while recovering.
Physical therapy focuses on providing you with inflammation and pain control to reduce your pain as quickly as possible while you are recovering. The surgical process can often leave muscles cramped and irritated. Our gentle hands-on therapy is perfect for soothing sore muscles and restoring normal muscle movement.
We work closely with your physician on the correct protocol to rehabilitate your shoulder after surgery. Every person’s surgery is unique and rest assured your recovery is treated as such. According to your protocol, we will help restore your range of motion, increase your strength and help you return to normal activities using your shoulder. Call us today to find out more how we can help you have a complete recovery after shoulder surgery!
- Fractures
About Shoulder Fractures
Fractures in the shoulder occur for a variety of reasons, but typically from a fall onto the shoulder itself. Fractures can occur in seniors also due to osteoporosis (thinning and weakening of bone).
The goal with fracture management is to provide a safe position for the bone to heal (typically around 8 weeks), while maintaining range of motion. As the bone heals, strengthening can begin and rehabilitation back to normal activities is progressed.
At times surgery may be needed to hold the bone together with plates or screws. This stabilizes the bone, but does disrupt muscles and leads to more weakness in the shoulder muscles. Physical therapy is very much needed after this to restore normal range of motion and strength to the shoulder. Recovery times can vary, but traditionally take 12–16 weeks.
How physical therapy helps
Physical therapy is a very important part of rehabilitation after a shoulder fracture. Whether you are a young person or older, we work closely with you and your physician to make sure your fracture is protected while it heals. We then work closely with you to gradually restore your range of motion, relieve pain, soothe aching muscles and improve your strength.
The goal of physical therapy is to return you to normal activities after the normal course of bone healing. We can prevent long–term damage and address any issues that may have caused a fall onto the arm in the first place. Call us today to learn more how we can help you after a fracture.