I have gone from chronic excruciating pain in my upper back as well as chronic shoulder rotator-cuff pain to functioning normally again. I 100% recommend this full-circle rehab/therapy place to anyone who has a major sports injury or chronic pain from overuse type issues/injuries.
- Kim B.
"I couldn’t be happier with the results."
I had a minor shoulder injury which led to chronic pain for several years. After a few visits to PhysioPlus, Lauren (Physiotherapist) and Jonathan (RMT) were able to relieve the pain. They were both very effective and professional, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Thanks to you both!
- Kyle F.
"Lauren Kanko is my physiotherapist, and she is instrumental in helping me recover. "
Lauren Kanko is my physiotherapist, and she is instrumental in helping me recover. Her professionalism helped to manage my frozen shoulder pain and to make significant improvements with its mobility.
- Vebecca T.
LIVING WITH SHOULDER PAIN? WE CAN HELP!
We use our shoulders for almost every movement we make. So if you’re living with shoulder pain, it’s a big deal! There are many reasons why someone may have shoulder pain. The severity of that pain can range from mild discomfort to agonizing bone-on-bone arthritic pain.
Sometimes you just can’t get through a day without feeling the pain in your shoulder and neck. It may show up as a result of injury, making you feel like your shoulder is immobile.
Shoulder pain can take many forms. It can appear when you reach toward the top shelf to put away the dishes. It can appear when you’re struggling to find a comfortable sleeping position.
You might be tempted to reach for an ice pack. Maybe some over the counter pain relievers. But that doesn’t really solve the issue.
When problems like this start to affect our quality of life, it’s time to seek help. Help from a medical professional who can give you treatment options.
Whatever the cause of your shoulder pain we want you to know that we can help! Our team of Physiotherapists and Chiropractors at PhysioPlus Health Group has a wide range of interventions for shoulder pain.
Why physiotherapy treatment may be better than shoulder surgery
People who have rotator cuff injuries, impingement, or rotator cuff tears generally report a sharp pain in their shoulder. They may have weakness in their arms, difficulty reaching behind their backs, and troubled sleep due to pain.
Depending on the severity and situation, surgery may be needed. Possibly even injections. However, often proper physiotherapy can help reduce pain and restore strength to the rotator cuff to compensate for a partial tear.
According to the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, “A recent study from Finland asserts that when it comes to the treatment of non-traumatic rotator cuff tears, physiotherapy alone produces results equal to those produced by arthroscopic surgery and open surgical repair.”
At PhysioPlus Health Group, our natural and non-invasive methods can help relieve your painful shoulder, shoulder instability and heal rotator cuff injuries and help avoid surgical options.
What Physiotherapy treatments can do for a painful shoulder
Physiotherapy is a natural, easy, and comfortable way to find relief for shoulder pain without the need for harmful drugs or invasive type of surgery. Our Toronto, Bloor West Village & Kingswayphysiotherapists and chiropractors have treated a number of conditions that lead to a painful shoulder, with patients finding improvement and relief after just a few short sessions.
Physiotherapists and chiropractors are movement experts who are trained to identify the cause of your pain. They do this through a variety of clinical assessment techniques and diagnostic tests.
During your assessment, which will include a physical exam, we’ll examine your range of motion, strength, coordination, medical history, joint mobility, and joint motion mechanics.
Once our physiotherapists and chiropractors have determined the cause of your pain, they’ll create a customized plan that can combine of a variety of Physiotherapy of Chiropractic treatment methods to manage and relieve your pain.
Your initial treatment for shoulder pain may involve gentle manual (hands-on) therapy using gentle movement that helps to restore normal joint movement, ease soft tissue restrictions, and promote circulation. It may also include specific therapeutic exercises to restore shoulder strength and a more normal pattern of muscle activation around the shoulder.
Another benefit of physiotherapy is that you’ll learn new ways to move your shoulder to enhance your strength and prevent your shoulder problem from returning.
The shoulder is a “ball-and-socket” joint, which means the head of the upper arm bone, or “humerus,” fits perfectly into the corresponding space within the shoulder blade or “scapula.” The ends of the bones are protected by a thick layer of cartilage, which creates a nice, smooth surface and helps reduce friction.
A fluid-filled sac called the “bursa” sits just above the head of the humerus and this protects tendons from rubbing against the bones.
The tendons that attach to the bones in the shoulder are connected to a set of muscles known as the rotator cuff. They allow your arm to move in a circular motion as well as do an overhead motion up and away from the body.
Healthy Shoulders
Healthy shoulders are capable of performing many physical feats. In fact, they have the widest range of motion of all the joints in your body! However, the possibilities of pain and discomfort also come with this complex range of motion.
These are often susceptible to injury so rotator cuff tendons are a common issue in the shoulder problems we see at PhysioPlus. Sometimes we see tendon tears. However, they feel similar to shoulder impingement so an MRI or ultrasound might be needed to determine the exact problem.
The type of pain you feel in your shoulder may vary depending on what causes it. Pain from impingement, for example, usually occurs when you raise your arm, beginning at a certain point in the range of motion.
Pain from a degenerated or arthritic shoulder may cause persistent aches every time you move your arm in certain directions.
Acute injuries or falls can result in sudden and intense pain, making it impossible for you to move your shoulder.
Even tight shoulders or stiff shoulders can cause an issue, and this is becoming ever more common due to various Working From Home (WFH) office set ups.
If something goes wrong with the intricacies that make up the mechanical interplay of the shoulder, pain may be an unfortunate result.
Some of the most common causes of shoulder pain include:
Shoulder Arthritis
The two main forms of arthritis that affect the shoulder are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Both of these result in loss of motion, weakness to the shoulder muscles, and difficulty performing normal, daily tasks.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system decides to attack the tissues surrounding the shoulder joint, resulting in pain and inflammation. There is often swelling in the shoulder
Osteoarthritis
Shoulder osteoarthritis is a painful condition that affects the bones and cartilage in the shoulder joint.
Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the shoulder joint experiences significant “wear and tear,” typically due to age or overuse from daily activities or sports.
It often occurs after repeated use of the arm, especially when lifting heavy objects, and often occurs as we get older, due to wear and tear. Another reason is due to genetics. If one parent has shoulder osteoarthritis, then there is a higher chance that their child will also develop the condition.
Shoulder Impingement
Shoulder Impingement is a VERY common cause of shoulder pain, but it’s a term that can be difficult to understand. Let’s start by providing a common scenario we see here at Physioplus Health Group
A patient comes in to see us complaining of shoulder pain that hurts when they reach in certain directions affecting their daily activities. They often can’t pinpoint a specific time when it started hurting and say that it just happened over time. Sometimes they’ll complain of weakness or numbness in the forearms and hands.
Does this sound familiar? Do you have a similar story and are wondering what’s causing your shoulder pain? There’s one common culprit: Shoulder impingement.
But what exactly is shoulder impingement? Well, put quite simply, it means that something in the shoulder is not happy. And to be a bit more specific, something in the shoulder is becoming aggravated and compressed and this has an affect on shoulder function.
Now let’s dive in a bit deeper.
The shoulder joint itself consists of a ball (the humerus) and a socket (the scapula). The shoulder is surrounded by muscles, and ligaments. These allow the shoulder to actively move as well as provide stability to the joint. There is also a bundle of nerves that travel in and around the shoulder joint.
The position of the humerus and scapula impact the arm’s ability to move within the shoulder joint. Your muscles help to hold everything in an ideal position to allow the arm to move freely.
If one of these muscles isn’t doing its job correctly, it can cause the humerus and scapula to become misaligned. If these bones are misaligned, it can create less space within the joint, and compression on the structures/tissues that run in and around it.
This compression at rest is further aggravated by moving or using your amt.
Our job as physiotherapists or chiropractors is to help get everything working in an ideal way in order to open up the joint space and allow the arm to move more freely.
Fun Fact: shoulder impingement may not always present as severe pain in the shoulder. If a nerve is getting compressed, it can cause discomfort in the elbow, wrist, or hand.
A key characteristic of shoulder impingement is shoulder pain, but there are several other complaints that you may have:
Arm weakness
Trouble gripping objects
Numbness and tingling into the hands
Shoulder stiffness when waking up in the morning
If you’ve been experiencing shoulder impingement for a long time then it’s possible for the muscles that are getting compressed to eventually wear down and become torn. That’s why it’s important to take action and not ignore your pain.
Frozen shoulder
Frozen shoulder results in a painful loss of motion in the shoulder with a tightening of the shoulder joint that severely limits motion. ( “adhesive capsulitis.” )
Some ethnicities are more predisposed, and women from 40-60 years of age tend to have more instances of this condition than men.
Tendinitis
Overuse of the shoulder joint can cause Tendinitis. This is typically due to the physical demands of a person’s job, heavy or repetitive overhead activity, or sports.
Poor posture is another contributing factor to tendinitis. Poor posture alters the position and mechanics of the shoulder joint, putting more force on the tendons and setting you up for shoulder injury.
So you may have a better understanding of what may be causing your pain, but you probably still have lots of questions.
What caused my shoulder impingement?
There are usually several contributing factors: posture, ergonomics, repetitive movements and it’s hard to know exactly till you have an assessment.
How can physiotherapy help me?
Our physiotherapists will perform a detailed assessment to learn more about your lifestyle habits and what may be contributing to your pain, to learn what specific movements are causing your pain, and to learn what kinds of normal activities you want to get back to doing.
We’ll come up with a treatment option to help solve the issue and get you back to your best.
Remember that common patient presentation you read about before? Patients like that can become discouraged. They think that their pain will never go away. Maybe you’re feeling the same way.
Well, there’s good news! Shoulder pain is treatable. At PhysioPlus Health Group we have a number of interventions for shoulder pain that we can use to help you. Our patients go from being frustrated and discouraged to being happy and motivated after completing their plan of care. Best of all they can leave the idea of shoulder surgery or injections behind.
Shoulder pain may be controlling your life, but it doesn’t have to! Our Bloor West Village and Kingsway physiotherapy practice will get you the help you need to start doing the things you love once again without pain. Contact PhysioPlus Health Group today to request your appointment.
Choosing the right physiotherapist can be a big decision. We’re dedicated to answering any questions you have to help you make the best choice. Contact us today and ask us anything!
The three most common causes of shoulder pain are rotator cuff related issues, adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), and shoulder dislocations or subluxations.
If your shoulder pain is due to a dislocation or subluxation, it won’t be hard at all to tell and medical care should be sought out immediately.
However, rotator cuff related problems and frozen shoulder can present with a lot of the same signs and symptoms.
Not to worry though, as a physiotherapist has received tons of training on determining the cause of YOUR shoulder pain and the best way to treat it.
Do I have a rotator cuff tear?
Rotator cuff issues can be tough to detect and treat on your own. However, physiotherapists have many tools at their disposal to be able to determine the reasons behind your shoulder pain.
Rotator cuff tears and/or inflammation are one of the most common causes of shoulder pain. They present specific signs and symptoms that your physiotherapist can look for.
Should I heat or ice my shoulder?
Shoulder pain is complex and multifactorial. This means that your shoulder pain may or may not also have an inflammatory component.
That’s why it’s important to discuss your shoulder pain with your physiotherapist so they can determine the factors that are contributing to YOUR shoulder pain.
However, most shoulders can respond to both ice and heat as shoulder pain tends to be a more chronic issue (except in cases of a dislocation).
The simplest advice is to pick whichever gives you the most comfort and relief and do that.
Some people prefer the relaxation that heat provides, while others might prefer the numbing effect of icing.
An alternative option is to do contrast treatments, which flips back and forth between ice and heat to provide the best of both worlds. If you haven’t tried this option yet, then give it a go!
What is the best treatment for shoulder pain?
The complexity of shoulder pain makes recommending a single treatment option very difficult. However, if there’s one thing that has proven to be effective for virtually any musculoskeletal condition, it’s movement!
Exercises aimed at increasing your shoulder range of motion, coordination, and strength are almost always used when treating any kind of shoulder problem.
Unfortunately, knowing the specific exercises you need to do for your shoulder pain can be quite difficult. Fortunately, the expertise of physical therapists who are movement specialists can help guide you with this.
Your physiotherapist knows exactly the exercises you should be doing and other movements that you should temporarily be avoiding to best address your shoulder pain.
