Shoulder Physiotherapy

Shoulder pain is a common condition. Specific symptoms which may require physiotherapy for shoulder pain and range of motion include:

• Pain in your shoulder and upper arm
• Difficulty raising your arm and reaching overhead
• Inability to carry objects or use your arm normally
• Difficulty sleeping and lying on your shoulder

What Causes Shoulder Pain?

Many factors can contribute to the development of pain and the need for shoulder physiotherapy. Often it is not a single factor but a combination of the following:

• Age
• Injury or trauma
• Repetitive overhead activities (e.g., swimming, occupation)
• Weak muscles or muscle imbalances

What Are The Most Common Types of Shoulder Injury?

Shoulder Injuries can be broken up into two categories; Sudden injuries and overuse injuries

Some examples of overuse injuries include:

• Rotator cuff tendinitis (inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons)
• Rotator cuff tear (tearing to the rotator cuff tendons)
• Shoulder instability (looseness of the shoulder joint)
• Frozen shoulder (pain and stiffness)
• Impingement (pinching of the shoulder’s tendons and soft tissues)
• Bursitis (inflammation of the bursa which is a closed, fluid-filled sac, that works as a cushion to reduce friction between tissue.

Examples of sudden injuries can include:

• Dislocation
• Separation
• Fracture
• Rotator Cuff Tear
• Injured Nerves
• Bruises
• Injured Tendons and Ligaments
• Torn Cartilage
• Broken arm or Collarbone

There are less common causes of ongoing shoulder pain. These causes include irregular posture, osteoarthritis, calcium build up, and infections.

How Can Physical Therapy Help With Shoulder Pain?

Getting an accurate diagnosis and identifying the contributing factors is key to effective treatment. Physiotherapists are highly skilled at assessing people with various types of shoulder pain. At HealthX, we will develop a plan to manage your physiotherapy for shoulder pain and injury. Generally, they prescribe:

• Mobility exercises and physical therapy for shoulder movement
• Specific exercise to improve shoulder muscle control
• Manual therapy to increase the movement of stiff shoulders
• Education on activities to continue or reduce
• Modalities for pain control

What to Expect During Shoulder Rehab

Our professionals will manage your shoulder pain physiotherapy through:

• Assessing and determining the cause of your pain
• Screening out serious conditions requiring medical follow-up
• Examining your strength and how you move your shoulder
• Applying special tests to isolate the problem
• Determining if your posture, work or sporting activities contribute to the problem
• For most shoulder conditions, there is no quick fix. Progress often takes several weeks.

The type of treatment used to rehabilitate your shoulder will depend on the type of injury. Therapy treatments can include hands-on therapy, where the physical therapist will use direct-specific pressure on the tissue for mobility, heat and ice therapy, electric stimulation, and other forms of strengthening and mobilizing exercises you can do at home as well.

All the Physiotherapists at Healthx have advanced clinical training and years of experience specific to shoulder physiotherapy. You will be in good hands at Healthx!

If you are suffering from shoulder pain, we welcome you to come in for an assessment with one of our practitioners. You can book an appointment with us online by clicking here or give us a call at 604-332-4487

Meet Your Therapists