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H O M E PA G E  SHOULDER

Shoulder

Best Physical
Therapy Methods for
Treating Shoulder
Pain and Injuries

Shoulder pain is a common ailment —

affecting 18% to 26% of adults — but that
doesn’t mean it’s ever convenient. The
shoulder has the most range of motion of
all our joints, so it’s not surprising that
shoulder pain and injuries are both
common and incredibly uncomfortable.

The shoulder joint is made up of three

main parts:

Humerus (the upper-arm bone)

Clavicle (the collarbone)
Scapula (the shoulder blade)

These bones, held together by muscles,

tendons and ligaments, are what allow us
to do everyday tasks with ease. Because
it’s one of the most-used parts of the
body, it’s at a higher risk for injury, which
is why it’s important to both understand
how to protect the shoulders as well as
how to properly treat shoulder pain and
injuries.

Common Injuries that

Lead to Shoulder Pain
Treatment
Knowing why you’re experiencing
shoulder pain is the first step to treating it,
and shoulders can be injured by a variety
of activities, including seemingly harmless
ones, like sitting at your desk at work.
The types of shoulder injuries can be
neatly divided into two main categories:
sudden injuries and injuries born from
overuse.

Sudden Injuries
Also known as acute injuries, these can
be the result of anything from tripping and
landing on your shoulder to twisting the
shoulder in an unnatural way. Sudden
injuries can include:

Bruises
Injured tendons, which connect the
muscle to the bone
Injured ligaments, which help keep the
shoulder joint stable
Injured nerves
Torn rotator cuff, which happens when
any of the four tendons that cover the
shoulder joint is damaged
Strained muscles
Broken bones
Dislocation

After an acute shoulder injury, you’ll likely

see bruising or swelling straight away,
and you may feel tingling or numbness if
the injury resulted in a pinched nerve or
damaged blood vessel.

Overuse Injuries
Overuse injuries can be more sinister
than acute injuries since they can develop
slowly over time as a result of your
everyday activities. They’re the result of
the shoulder joint or the surrounding
tissue facing excess stress, and you may
not even realize anything’s wrong until
you suddenly find yourself with an
annoying shoulder pain to deal with.
Overuse injuries can include:

Bursitis, which is when the fluid sac

cushioning and lubricating the shoulder
joint becomes inflamed.
Tendinitis, which is when the tendons
become inflamed.
Muscle strain.
Frozen shoulder, which “freezes” your
shoulder’s range of movement.
Impingement syndrome, which is when
overhead arm movements force the
tendons to rub against a part of the
shoulder blade, which can lead the
rotator cuff tendons to become
inflamed.

While acute and overuse injuries are the

most common reason for shoulder pain,
there are a handful of less-common
injuries that can also affect your shoulder,
including:

Irregular posture
Osteoarthritis
Herniated disk
Calcium buildup
Infection

Explore Treatment Options For Shoulder

Pain

How Physical Therapy

Can Help With Shoulder
Pain and Shoulder
Injuries
Whether it’s rotator cuff tears or other
injuries to the muscles surrounding the
shoulder, physical therapy for shoulder
pain is often a successful, non-surgical
treatment. It aims to strengthen the
muscles around your shoulder to improve
its function and your mobility.

Your doctor may refer you to a physical

therapist to deal with your shoulder pain,
and the physical therapist will examine
your injury and establish the best course
of treatment.

The treatment will be custom-designed to

help you recover from your injury and
regain your mobility, and your therapist
may also include advice on how to alter
your everyday activities to better support
your shoulders, so you can avoid re-
injury. You may also be assigned a
unique home-exercise routine to follow to
help you maintain your mobility once your
therapy sessions are complete.

In some cases, physical therapy can

prevent the need for surgery, which is
especially beneficial for older adults who
may not have as high a success rate with
surgery. Studies show the majority of
patients find physical therapy for shoulder
injuries to be adequate, although the
length of recovery can vary from person
to person. Even in cases where surgery is
inevitable, physical therapy is a great way
to prepare and strengthen the body prior
to and after surgery.

View Our Physical Therapists

Physical Therapy
Treatments for Shoulder
Pain
Depending on the specifics of your injury,
the shoulder therapy that your physical
therapist will prescribe will likely include
one or more of the following types of
treatment:

Ice therapy: The RICE (Rest, Ice,

Compression Elevation) modal
encourages icing injured spots for
acute injuries. It helps reduce
inflammation and swelling, which, in
turn, helps reduce pain, as well.
Heat therapy: In contrast to ice
therapy, which used within the first
hours of the injury, heat therapy is best
used after 72 hours have passed. Like
ice therapy, it’s also a painkiller and
allows muscles to relax.
Hands-on therapy: As the name
implies, hands-on therapy requires the
physical therapist’s help to relax the
injured shoulder. With their hands, the
physical therapist uses direction-
specific pressure on the tissue to help
it regain some of its natural mobility.
Stretching: Stretching is a common
type of therapy for shoulder pain since
it’s designed to gently push your
muscles further and further until you
regain your range of motion. The
physical therapist will likely incorporate
varying levels of stretches that may
target the parts of the shoulder as well
as the neck and spine, depending on
the injury.

Strengthening: Strengthening is
essentially another way of saying
exercise since the physical therapist
may recommend you practice specific
strengthening exercises to reduce the
pain at the injury site while also
strengthening other muscles, like your
core. The goal is to leave you stronger
than before the injury in an attempt to
prevent its reoccurrence.
Joint mobilization: Another type of
therapy in which the physical
therapist’s help is necessary, joint
mobilization aims to increase the
injured shoulder’s mobility by stretching
the joint capsule. Because it requires a
thorough understanding of anatomy, it’s
only performed by a trained,
professional physical therapist.
Ultrasound: A therapeutic ultrasound
— not to be confused with a diagnostic
ultrasound — is a type of physical
therapy for shoulder pain in which the
muscles, tendons and other soft tissue
are treated to a session of deep
heating. The heat improves the
circulation in the tissue, which both
alleviates pain and assists in healing
the injury. Therapeutic ultrasounds also
help increase the elasticity of muscles,
especially in cases of frozen shoulder,
in order to allow the muscles to stretch
more easily and, thus, increase the
range of mobility.
Electrical stimulation: One way to
strengthen the muscles of the injured
shoulder is to stimulate the nerves.
Sometimes, it’s used to contract
muscles or reduce inflammation, but it
can also be used as a way to
administer medication.
Athletic taping: Your physical
therapist may opt to use athletic tape
as part of your shoulder physical
therapy in conjunction with other
methods of therapy, such as exercises.
Kinesiology taping: While athletic
taping aims to limit movement,
kinesiology taping encourages
movement in a safe and secure way
while increasing circulation. Depending
on the type of shoulder injury you’re
suffering, the physical therapist may
use one of these taping methods or
neither.

Activity modification: To reduce the

likelihood of your shoulder injury
returning, your physical therapist will
provide you with ways in which to
modify the way you perform everyday
activities, so your shoulders are
properly supported. For example, if
you’re dealing with a frozen shoulder,
the physical therapist may suggest you
avoid excessive rest for your shoulder.
Workplace ergonomics: In this day
and age, it’s almost impossible for
some people to not be sitting at their
computer desk for upwards of eight
hours a day. Ergonomics is something
your physical therapist will likely
discuss with you — its aim is to find
ways to ensure your body is getting the
proper support it needs. This could be
anything from doing specific exercises
at your desk or investing in a new
office chair.
Home exercise program: The
shoulder physical therapy exercises
you do with your physical therapist will
likely need to be maintained to some
extent once your sessions are
complete. The physical therapist will
curate a set of at-home exercises to
help maintain the progress you’ve
made. They’ll practice the exercises
with you during sessions, so you can
be confident in how to do them when
you get home.

Physical Therapy
Exercises for Shoulder
Pain
While specialized exercises are best
prescribed by your physical therapist to
target your specific shoulder injury, for
everyday shoulder pain, there are certain
exercises that you can do at home. These
exercises may be part of the physical
therapy treatment plan, but they’re also a
good way to loosen up any tightness or
tension in your shoulder and potentially
help prevent an injury from occurring.

As with any exercise, it’s important to

know your limits and not push yourself
too hard and risk another potential injury.

1. Across the Chest

Bring one arm across your chest and hold
it in place with your other hand. Release
your arm and repeat with the opposite
arm.

This is one of the easiest physical therapy

shoulder exercises out there. It’s great to
do while sitting at your desk at work,
while watching TV or even as part of your
daily morning stretches. It’s designed to
help the shoulder joint and its muscles
maintain or improve flexibility and range
of motion.

2. Pendulum
With one hand resting on the back of a
chair, allow your other arm to hang
loosely and circle it a few times both
clockwise and counter-clockwise. Then
release and repeat on the opposite side.
Doing this exercise a few times a day will
help increase flexibility, and it’s also great
for warming up your joints before a
workout.

3. Doorway Stretch
Stand in any doorway with both elbows
forming right angles. Step one foot
forward while pressing your palms into
the doorway and lean forward slightly,
using your core muscles to remain
steady. Repeat the move with the other
foot and complete a handful of repetitions
to let your chest and shoulders stretch
and strengthen.

4. Downward Dog
Better known as a popular yoga pose,
Downward Dog is great for stretching and
strengthening the muscles in your
shoulders as well as your back. Start on
your hands and knees, then press into
your mat with your palms to lift your hips
up. Keep your knees a little bent if you
need and distribute your weight among
your palms and feet. Your spine should
be straight, with your head pulled towards
your feet, allowing your shoulders and
back to properly stretch out above your
head.

5. Neck Release
To give our neck and shoulder muscles a
little relief, gently dip your head until your
chin is touching your chest and feel the
stretch in the back of your neck. Then,
gently lift your head a little and tilt it to
one side to allow the opposite shoulder to
stretch. Then, repeat the tilt on the
opposite side.

6. Chest Expansion
Standing with your arms behind you
holding an exercise strap or towel, gently
move your shoulder blades toward each
other, opening up your chest. Lift your
chin to look up. Deepen the stretch by
bringing your hands closer together on
the strap or towel.

This stretch is great for encouraging

flexibility as well as improving your
shoulders’ range of motion.

7. Seated Twist
If you practice yoga regularly, you’ll
recognize the seated twist. If you’re not
familiar with yoga, you can do this twist
while seated on a chair. Make sure your
hips are facing forward throughout the
stretch and allow the stretch to begin in
your lower back. Your knees should be in
line with your ankles, and as you twist to
one side, bring the opposite hand to rest
on your thigh. Hold the stretch before
gently turning to repeat it on the opposite
side.

This stretch is great for your shoulders

and your neck.

When to Start Shoulder

Physical Therapy
It can be tricky to identify when your
shoulder pain is bad enough to warrant
professional medical attention, but a good
rule of thumb is to see your doctor as
soon as your shoulder pain is noticeable,
especially if it begins to prevent you from
doing everyday activities. Your doctor
may recommend you see a physical
therapist, but you don’t have to wait for
their recommendation. If you feel you
could benefit from professional physical
therapy, you won’t be doing any harm by
at least meeting with one, so they can
examine the extent of the injury.

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