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!