Got Shoulder Pain?

Pushing past your limits of comfort can be detrimental to your long term fitness plans.  While working hard can result in some muscle soreness, you need to listen to your body and act quickly to prevent postponing your personal fitness goals.  This article will focus on the shoulder and some common issues that affect this part of the body.

The shoulder must remain strong and secure in all of the dynamic movements we put it through.  Think of the shoulder as a golf ball on a golf tee. There is almost three times greater surface of the humeral head to the shoulder blade. If you find yourself experiencing shoulder pain with any motions you could be putting excessive stress along the joint and rotator cuff.

Some of the most common shoulder injuries are:

1) Impingement:  This occurs when the tendons of the rotator cuff become pinched between the bony prominence of the scapula and the head of the humerus.  This results in a pinching pain with overhead tasks that can result in rotator cuff tears.  Many times, fixing your posture and stretching the shoulder can alleviate impingement symptoms.

2) Rotator Cuff Injury:  This can happen with either a single incident of trauma or over a long period of time.  With a rotator cuff injury you will experience pain with over head movements.  With a complete tear there is no pain but you will be extremely weak in shoulder movements.  A complete tear must be dealt with surgically, however a partial tear can usually be rehabilitated to full function in a reasonable period of time.

3) Labral Tears:  The labrum is a thin lip of cartilage in the shoulder that helps secure the head of the humerus in place.  If the shoulder is unstable it can result in a labral tear.  You may experience pain in your shoulder during over head or behind the body movements.  Improving your posture and doing the proper exercise can improve the strength in your shoulder.  You may also find that your shoulder feels like it is going to dislocate or “pop out.”  If you are experiencing a great deal of pain in your shoulder, then a surgical intervention may be warranted.

The best course of treatment is to listen to your body and act early if you detect some shoulder pain.  A physical therapist or orthopedist is trained to evaluate and diagnose these types of injuries.  Early detection means less time spent rehabilitating and more time doing what you want to do: TRAIN HARD!

Dr. Daniel J. Lee, D.P.T is a Doctor of Physical therapy specializing in orthopedic manual therapy and sports rehab.  Daniel is a monthly contributor to the FQ10 newsletter and can be reached at daniel@waterandsportspt.com.  Water & Sports Physical Therapy can be reached at 858-488-3597 or at http://www.waterandsportspt.com

Disclaimer: No information presented in this article can replace medical advice.  Before beginning any program consult a physician.  The author and publisher of this article are not responsible for any injury sustained from advice contained in this article.