Role of Physical Therapy in Shoulder Pain Relief

Are you having pain in your shoulders? Are you worried about how to get around with your daily activities with this excruciating pain hindering your way? We understand the pain you must endure while performing your daily chores. Shoulder pain affects around 22% of adults. This pain may either be temporary or may persist for a longer period. The cause of shoulder pain varies from accidental or sports injury to arthritis, osteoarthritis, fracture, or shoulder joint dislocation. Did you know that Shoulder pain can be treated conservatively with a physical therapy approach?

It all depends on the intensity and severity of the pain. Physical therapy is used for the treatment of mild to moderate shoulder pain. However, if you persist even after physical therapy, you may have no choice but to go for surgical treatment. But before deciding on treating shoulder pain, let's know more about it.

What is Shoulder Pain?

Shoulder pain occurs due to continuously repeated compression of the rotator cuff tendons. The impingement to these tendons causes pain and restricts the movement of the body's upper part, including the shoulders and the forearm. An injury or repeated overhead movements may be among the causes of shoulder pain. This condition is common in labor-class workers, athletes, and people working with wrong postures. If this condition is left untreated, it may lead to other serious conditions like shoulder impingement syndromes, rotator cuff tears, and other conditions. 

Causes of Shoulder Pain

There are several factors contributing to shoulder pain. You should know that the shoulder pain may not be localized to the shoulder itself. It may spread to the structures that comprise the shoulder complex. The shoulder complex constitutes the shoulders, neck, shoulder blades, the humerus bone of the forearms, the clavicle or the collar bone, and the ribs. The common causes of shoulder pain are 

• Shoulder Dislocation
• Shoulder Separation
• Fracture
• Arthritis
• Impingement
• Instability of the joint
• Overuse/ excessive worsening of the shoulder joint
• Rotator cuff injury or tendonitis
• Frozen shoulder
• Biceps tendonitis
• Bursitis
• Osteoarthritis
• Tendonitis
• Muscle stiffness and weakness

Signs and Symptoms of Shoulder Pain

The common signs and symptoms that you might experience when having shoulder pain are

• Difficulty in moving the shoulder joint 
• Difficulty, pain, and discomfort while lifting the arms
• Persistent pain in the shoulder joints
• Clicking or popping sound when moving the shoulders
• Pain while performing daily chores
• Pain and discomfort while lifting objects

The Role of Physical Therapy in Shoulder Pain Relief

A physical therapist aims to improve your body movement, improving your quality of life by providing physical therapy sessions. So if you are experiencing pain or difficulty lifting your arms and moving around to perform your daily chores, you should consult a physical therapist. 

Physical therapy for shoulder pain includes:

• Passive therapy: The therapies under passive therapy do not require the active involvement of the patients. It means they need not perform any physical exercise to relieve their pain. Passive therapy includes heat therapy, ice packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulations, or athletic taping. 
• Active therapy: It includes the following exercises

1. Pendulum
2. Crossover arm stretch
3. Internal and external rotation
4. Trapezius Strengthening exercises
5. Passive internal rotation 
6. Passive external rotation
7. Sleeper stretch

These exercises are performed under the guidance of well-trained physical therapists. These exercises help to relieve pain by stabilizing and mobilizing the shoulder joints. They also help you with ergonomics and some home exercises that may be followed to maintain a quality life at home. 

The duration of your physical therapy depends on the severity of your shoulder pain and your medical history. Physical therapy has become an essential means of treatment for shoulder pain. 

Conclusion

Physical therapy is an effective mode of treatment that will help you relieve your shoulder pain with a conservative approach. Shoulder Pain can easily be relieved with personalized Physical Therapy under the guidance of physical therapists. They design and teach therapies and exercises to help straighten your shoulder muscles and improve the joint's flexibility. So if you are scared of going under the knife for surgery to relieve your shoulder pain, physical therapy is the best option.