The shoulder is a very complex part of the body and getting it treated effectively is difficult. In a recent study, only 50% of people with new onset of pain had full recovery in 6 months and 60% in 1 year. This may not be very encouraging for people with shoulder pain but utilizing expert and innovative treatment techniques may help improve your odds.
The shoulder is one of the most complex joints in the body and depends on many muscles working in unison to keep it functioning well. Whether through injury, overuse or trauma, the muscle action may become imbalanced causing stress on the shoulder joint and tendons causing problems such as tendonitis, bursitis and arthritis. Left alone or poorly managed, this can turn into a muscle/tendon tear which requires surgery to fix.
Common treatments for shoulder pain include injections which helps with the inflammation and often the pain. However this does not address the underlying problem that caused the pain which in most cases is due to soft tissue tightness, muscle weakness or poor muscle coordination. Another factor not often addressed is the spine. In my experience, many people with shoulder pain also have tightness in the neck and middle back. Many of these spinal muscles also attach to the shoulder complex causing problems there.
To treat the shoulder effectively, you have to go beyond exercising the rotator cuff muscles. One major issue that has been thought to cause many of the body's pain is tightness in the soft tissue, fascia and trigger points. With the shoulder, unless the soft tissue is loose, stress will be placed on the rotator cuff causing irritation, pain and eventually injury. Once the soft tissue is loose, then you can work on the muscle weakness and imbalance. You also need to look at the body as a whole which may the reason many people do not fully recover.
Recent developments in physical therapy has allowed us to use innovative treatments such as Myofasical Decompression, utilizing therapeutic cupping to loosen soft tissue tightness and allow better movement. This combined with our hands on approach with exercises, may be the added advantage people need to get rid of shoulder pain. With this new treatment technique, one of our team was able to restore full ROM in his shoulder which was stiff for over 5 years after a dislocation.
For more information on shoulder pain and tightness in Hazleton, PA, visit FYZICAL Hazleton's website or catch the local WYLN TV show "Wellness Through Physical Therapy" nightly. To schedule an appointment to see if we can help you, call FYZICAL Hazleton at 570-501-1808.