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physiotherapy for shoulder pain st albert

Physiotherapy for Shoulder Pain: Everything You Should Know

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Shoulder injury is one of the most common conditions our clients experience; it impacts between 80 and 90 percent of all men and women at some point in their life.

Fortunately, shoulder pain isn’t something that suddenly appears out of nowhere; its causes are generally widely known and often connect to pinched nerves, over stretched muscles, “frozen shoulder”, or a misalignment of the bones in your shoulder joint. This usually results in chronic pain in the soft tissues and limited mobility.

Physiotherapy is one of the most popular natural methods to treat the chronic pain of shoulder injury, however not everyone understands how it works or what they need to do to get going.

In this post, we’ll discuss more about what physiotherapy is and how you can start getting relief from your shoulder pain today through physiotherapy.

What is Physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is a medical therapy that focuses on the treatment and recovery of musculoskeletal conditions. Musculoskeletal conditions are mainly triggered by tissue damage, inflammation, or both.

Physiotherapy works by re-educating your nervous system, muscles, and connective tissues to reduce pain and enhance motion, restoring you to your regular activities. Once your nervous system and muscles get the message that discomfort is no longer an element, they can interact more effectively and move with less interference from the brain.

Physiotherapy can likewise help relieve discomfort triggered by conditions like low back stress, neck stress, shoulder strain, joint sprains, and other conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system.

 

What’s Behind The Physiotherapy Process

Physiotherapy is a very customized treatment method that utilizes adjustment, muscle energy methods, and motion re-education to treat a wide range of conditions like low pain in the back, neck pain, and shoulder discomfort.

The physical therapist will work with you individually to assess your pain, mobility, and other signs and symptoms of muscle injury. They may then use a combination of manual techniques, electrotherapy, and other treatments to help alleviate your pain and repair motion.

While there are no particular guidelines on how to get rid of shoulder pain with physiotherapy, you’ll more than likely see a physiotherapist with proficiency in the treatment of conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system.

 

Physiotherapy Treatments For Shoulder Injury

Physiotherapy treatments for your shoulder discomfort will depend on the problem you’re experiencing and the severity of your signs and symptoms. Treatments may include:

Manual treatments – Manual treatments involve the physiotherapist manually re-aligning your muscles and ligaments, removing knots and restoring them to their proper positions so that they’re not experiencing undue stress or tension.

Strengthening exercises – Strengthening exercises focus on developing the particular muscles that are affected by shoulder pain. Strengthening exercises can be done through direct contact with resistance, through a weight barbell, or with your own body weight. Doing reinforcing exercise helps to reduce pain and enhance strength in the agonist muscles, which are the main muscles that trigger your pain.

Stretching exercises – Stretching is important to prevent injury and improve movement. Stretching routines can be performed through direct contact with resistance, through a weight machine, or with your own body weight. Extending workouts ought to be done frequently to enhance your range of motion and avoid injury.

Active Rest – Active Rest is a type of pain management that concentrates on reducing pain and increasing range of motion by increasing movement through physiotherapy workouts. Active Rest permits you to take part in everyday activities while you’re experiencing shoulder discomfort.

 

When Should You Book a Physio Session?

Most individuals can begin physiotherapy treatments on their own without the need to see a doctor; if you need to see a therapist for a shoulder injury, you should contact your local area physiotherapist for a visit.

 

How Often Should You Have Physiotherapy?

The frequency of your physiotherapy sessions depends on the seriousness of your symptoms, the length of time you’ve been experiencing them, and how successful your physiotherapy treatments are.

Your physiotherapist will collaborate with you to design a treatment schedule that works best for your symptoms and your schedule. You might have as many as three sessions per week and a maximum of 4 per week. If you have been experiencing shoulder discomfort for an extended period of time, you should have physiotherapy treatments a minimum of one time a week for six to 8 weeks.

 

Tips on Relieving Shoulder Pain After Physiotherapy is Over

Following the exercises and stretches prescribed by your physiotherapist is very important for maintaining their efficiency. You should also follow these simple suggestions for reducing your discomfort after physiotherapy is over:

  • Rest – be sure to relax when you’re experiencing pain or pain after your treatment. If you have to raise or pull something, ask a buddy to help. Don’t hurry or press through your symptoms. They’ll only get worse if you do.
  • Ice – Ice is a great way to lower inflammation and help to disperse scar tissue in the short term. You can use a cold pack or ice in a bag (a freezer bag with ice cubes frozen inside) to help relieve your shoulder discomfort.
  • Elevate – Raising your shoulder and preventing sleeping on your front is important for post-physiotherapy healing. While raising your shoulder is crucial, you ought to always avoid heavy lifting.
  • Rest Your Shoulder – While resting your shoulder is very important, you ought to stay clear of completely resting your shoulder. Resting your shoulder completely will only allow the muscles to re-tighten, leading to discomfort and inflammation.
  • Attempt a New, Low Intensity Exercise – If an exercise isn’t effective for you or is triggering pain, try out a new one. If you’ve been doing an exercise that triggers discomfort, try a different variation. You can always alter the exercise after you’ve done it for a few weeks.
  • Don’t Overdo It – Exercising too frequently or too forcefully can wear out your body and cause injury. You should consistently listen to your body and steer clear of pressing yourself too hard. If you’re experiencing pain, steer clear of it.

 

Finishing up

Physiotherapy is an extremely customized treatment technique that utilizes adjustment, muscle energy strategies, and movement re-education to treat conditions like low pain in the back, neck pain, and shoulder pain.

Physiotherapy treatments depend upon the seriousness of your signs and symptoms, the length of time you’ve been experiencing them, and how effective they are. You ought to constantly follow your physio therapist’s instructions for treating your condition and stay clear of doing anything that would worsen your signs and symptoms. If you follow this advice, you’ll get relief from your shoulder pain.

 

Give our experienced team of physiotherapists at MVMT Physio & Chiro  a call today and we can begin easing your shoulder discomfort!

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physiotherapy for rotator cuff injury st albert

Rotator Cuff Injury: 6 Reasons You Should Use Physiotherapy

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A rotator cuff injury is right up there on the high end of the pain scale when it comes to unpleasant injuries. People of all ages who are very active or don’t participate in sports often injure their rotator cuffs, and this type of injury can be quite difficult to recover from.

Luckily, there are several physiotherapy treatment options available. But, let’s first look at some common types of shoulder pains.

A Wide Range of Common Conditions and Causes Leading to Shoulder Pain Includes:

  • Joint sprains
  • Arthritic conditions
  • Muscle injury
  • Shoulder injuries
  • Sports injuries 
  • Regular weight lifting activities
  • Frozen shoulder or Adhesive Capsulitis
  • Motor vehicle accident injuries
  • Occupational injuries
  • Overhead motions
  • Poor posture
  • Limited mobility
  • Biomechanical issues
  • Muscles sprains
  • Connective tissue problems
  • Scar tissue problems

No matter what the reason may be here are six excellent treatment options you should consider for your rotator cuff injuries:

 

1. A Restorative Exercise Program

Depending on the precise nature of your rotator cuff injury, you might be required to follow a specific corrective workout program. Your local physiotherapist can help you to determine your particular rotator cuff issue and develop a unique exercise program to address it. It’s worth noting that a restorative workout program is different from an exercise program designed to assist you to get back to daily activities as soon as possible. However, this type of program is not specifically designed to treat rotator cuff injuries. Instead, it can help you manage your pain and enhance your range of motion. You will likely receive a personalized exercise program from your physiotherapist if you want to treat your rotator cuff injury properly.

 

2. Your Rotator Cuff Injury May Require Taping

Depending upon the level of your rotator cuff injury, you may benefit from some light stretching or taping. For instance, if you have a moderate rotator cuff strain or sprain, your physiotherapist might recommend that you try some light extending or mild taping simply to help relieve a portion of your pain and tightness. 

If you have an extreme rotator cuff tear or your rotator cuff injury is degenerative, on the other hand, your physiotherapist may advise some more extreme stretching or taping. To be clear, this doesn’t always imply that you’ll have to remain in therapy for hours. Instead, your physiotherapist might suggest that you do some gentle stretching or light taping at home right before and after your therapy sessions. 

 

3. Manual Therapy Treatment for Pain Management

One of the things that set physiotherapy apart from other kinds of medical therapy is that it includes a manual therapy component. What this signifies is that a physical therapist will likely provide some type of manual therapy for discomfort management, such as myofascial release (MFR), active release technique,  and joint manipulation. MFR is a massage-like method that can assist to loosen tight muscles, decrease swelling and enhance flexibility. Joint manipulation involves physiotherapists using their hands to administer pressure to your joints. 

Manual therapy can be greatly effective for people with rotator cuff injuries. This is because your rotator cuff tissues are connected to your shoulder joint, which indicates that they can get extremely swollen and painful if they’re not functioning the proper way. Manual treatment can help to eliminate your pain, enhance your range of movement and help your muscles work more effectively.

 

4. Benefits of Dry Needling and/or Ultrasound Treatment

If your physiotherapist believes that dry needling or ultrasound therapy will be helpful for your rotator cuff injury, they’ll likely offer these treatments during your sessions. Dry needling, also known as intramuscular stimulation (IMS therapy) is a kind of acupuncture. Your physiotherapist will use tiny acupuncture needles on your muscles. 

Nevertheless, dry needling is actually made use of to deal with the pain instead of treating underlying health problems such as traditional acupuncture. Your physiotherapist might suggest dry needling if they believe your rotator cuff injury is caused by or intensified by muscle knots. If they feel that ultrasound treatment will be valuable, they’ll likely employ it on your muscles. Both dry needling and ultrasound treatment can be effective for dealing with rotator cuff pain. Dry needling can help to break up muscle knots, and ultrasound can assist to enhance blood flow to the injury area.

 

5. Addressing Your Core Dysfunction

Your core is the area at the center of your body where your back, stomach, and hips come together. It’s composed of your muscles, ligaments, and your spine. For example, your core muscles may become too weak, causing them to be not able to hold your shoulder blades together. As a result, your shoulders will be pulled forward, which can put a lot of strain on your rotator cuff muscles. Your physiotherapist may advise that you address your core dysfunction if they notice that your rotator cuff injury is being caused by a weak core. Your physiotherapist may suggest some particular exercises or activities that you can do at home or during the session to help correct your core dysfunction.

 

6. Your Core May Be Too Strong

As we just discussed, your rotator cuff may become hurt if your core muscles are too weak. Conversely, your rotator cuff may suffer if your core becomes too strong. Your core muscles are in charge of keeping your spinal column stable and straight. If they end up being too strong and overwhelm your rotator cuff muscles, your shoulder blades may be drawn back and together. This can put a great deal of stress on your rotator cuff muscles, which can result in an injury. If your physiotherapist notes that your rotator cuff injury is being brought on by a strong core, they might recommend that you do some workouts that target your core. These workouts can assist to extend your core muscles so that they do not overpower your rotator cuff muscles.

 

Conclusion

Rotator cuff injuries are usually a slow-healing process and require a long period of treatment for complete healing. Luckily, MVMT Physio & Chiro has a variety of treatments available that are proven to alleviate rotator cuff pain and promote recovery of the rotator cuff muscles. 

However, it’s important to get started with your treatment not long after your injury. Extended use of an injured rotator cuff might worsen your discomfort and cause enduring damage to the muscles and ligaments surrounding your shoulder. Contact our St Albert Clinic today and talk to one of our skilled physiotherapists to find out more about your rotator cuff. Now scheduling new appointments!

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rotator cuff injury

Rotator Cuff Injury: Symptoms, Treatment, and Exercises

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Shoulder injuries are common. In fact, shoulder injuries make up over 18% of all injuries in older adults according to Stats Canada. A rotator cuff injury happens to be one of the most common types of shoulder injury as well.

A rotator cuff injury is usually caused by a tear or strain to the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff consists of the muscles, joint capsule, and tendons that stabilizes our shoulders. The injury involves a tear or strain to the rotator cuff tendons or the thick bands of tissue which connect the muscles to our bones.

The supraspinatus tendon is the site where the tear is most likely to occur. Several of your muscles and tendons will tear due to severe injuries.

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swimmer's shoulder

Prevention and Treatment of Swimmer’s Shoulder

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Swimming is considered a good all-around workout because it builds endurance and muscle strength. It also keeps your heart and lungs healthy. It is also suitable for all ages (of course with proper training and guidance).

How To Identify If You Have Shoulder Injury From Swimming?

Swimmer’s shoulder is a term that covers a range of painful shoulder injuries caused by overuse that commonly occurs in swimmers. Since various parts of your shoulder can be damaged from your swimming stroke, the pain can be anything from a local pain along the shoulder joint to a spreading pain that travels from up your neck down to your arm. Swimmer’s shoulder being an overuse injury is caused by repeated trauma rather than a specific incident.

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frozen-shoulder

Will my frozen shoulder get better?

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Adhesive capsulitis, better known as frozen shoulder, is a condition affecting the shoulder muscles. This happens when the connective tissue that wrap around the ligaments, tendons and bones of the shoulder joint thickens. Thus, causing stiffness and soreness that makes it difficult and painful to move the affected shoulder.

frozen shoulder

Image credits to Mayo Clinic

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shoulder-impringement

Can Shoulder Impingement Be Fixed?

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The shoulder is one of the most important parts of your upper body. Your shoulder area muscles, joints and tendons are all essential for most upper limb functions. The shoulder provides strength and mobility to your arms and hands, allowing you to perform daily tasks most of us take for granted.

You lift, throw and receive objects, while also helping you to balance in instances where you support your weight with your hands. With so much dependency on this joint, it is not a wonder our shoulders suffer injuries from time to time.

One common type of injury is known as shoulder impingement. Also known as sub-acromial impingement syndrome, it is when the rotator cuff tendons in the shoulder become overused or, worse, torn.

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