Shoulder pain and shoulder injuries can have a huge impact on sleep quality, job performance, and activities of daily living.
Shoulder pain has a high recurrence rate and can become frustratingly chronic. The most common shoulder injuries reported by primary care physicians are rotator cuff disorders, injuries to the collarbone, and glenohumeral joint issues (problems with how the ball and socket are working together).
However, diagnosis of shoulder injuries is often inconsistent and unreliable, leading to confusion for the patient and slower recovery times. Between a lack of universally accepted diagnostic criteria and poor accuracy of many clinical tests for shoulder pain, the waters can get pretty muddy.
Diagnostic imaging sometimes provides further complication, as different people have different variations of shoulder anatomy that is normal for them. In addition, people who do not have shoulder pain often have identical findings on their imaging as those who do have pain, making it hard to determine what the real source of the pain is.
In short, the shoulder is a highly mobile and versatile joint that also can present somewhat of a frustrating mystery.
At Hybrid, we take a whole-body approach to the assessment and treatment of shoulder pain. This means not taking a narrow view of the shoulder in isolation, but instead assessing more broadly and considering how the state of your body as a whole may be contributing to pain that manifests in the shoulder. We assess your ribcage, pelvis, abdominal wall, and breathing in addition to the shoulder itself, as well as any other area of the body that may be relevant for you as an individual. Other factors such as mental health, stress, sleep, and medical status must also be taken into consideration as part of the whole picture.
Shoulder pain can be persistent and affect many aspects of daily life, but with a thorough assessment and a focused effort it can be very effectively managed.
Effective Rehabilitation of Other Common Musculoskeletal Issues
- Sciatica
- Disc herniations
- Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain
- Piriformis syndrome
- Hip impingement
- Tennis elbow
- Knee pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Rotator cuff issues
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
