Shoulder Pain: How It Occurs?
Shoulder pain is one of the most common yet uncomfortable pain that affects a large global population. This pain may occur in tendons, muscles or bones of the shoulder which consist of all three. We use our shoulders to lift a glass of water or carry heavy weights; either way, we use it extensively throughout the day. Hence if pain occurs in it, the sensation affects the entire body. The shoulder itself is a complex structure that contains the collar bone, shoulder blade and the upper arm. They function together to help the human body achieve daily tasks easily. It is prone to injury or dislocation as it’s in motion quite often throughout the day subconsciously. It offers strength and detail to otherwise tedious to do the task by hands only.
Moreover, the pain may occur due to tissue or muscle damage, dislocation of shoulder or collar bone or simply bad posture leading to shoulder discomfort. Furthermore, when lifting something incorrectly, the injury is likely to happen suddenly. You may suffer from bruises or broken bones due to any incident, etc.
Another way your shoulder causes pain is by unnecessary and long use of it. Continuously if the tissues or muscles are in strain due to bad posture to sit or sleep etc. You may even suffer from a frozen shoulder that makes it difficult to perform shoulder movements. The pain or discomfort comes in a variety of ways and there is a list of possibilities that may cause this to happen.
How Common Injuries Can Cause Shoulder Pain
Common injuries can cause shoulder pain by either affecting it on an individual level such as a tissue, muscle, or a tendon, it may affect the shoulder structure. The most common injuries that one may say contribute the most to shoulder pain are:
• Dislocation (The top of the arm dislocate from the shoulder)
• Separation ( The collar bones push through the sockets)
• Fracture ( when one of the bones in the shoulder socket break)
• Cartilage tear (the rim that goes on top of the shoulder blade is damaged)
• Frozen shoulder (restriction in movement of shoulder bones)
• Osteoarthritis (a disease that causes your structure to weaken)
• Referred pain (an indirect pain sensation, the root cause being other body parts or organs
Physical Therapy: Helping for Shoulder Pain and Injuries
Physical therapy refers to the use of non-surgical or non-operative ways to help an individual with their shoulder pain. It involves exercises, habits and changes in lifestyle to alleviate the problem and prevent it from occurring again. Often many health problems occur merely due to incorrect posture or unhealthy lifestyle choices. Our monotonous routines that get completely mug of any room for exercise or physical activity itself is a great medical problem.
The physical therapist always examines the injury or damage first and then recommends a customized treatment to fix the shoulder problem. They are experts in their domain and other than giving physical therapy themselves also recommend some easy-to-do exercises or healthy habits to adapt to make the life easy. They often recommend buying some home exercise equipment such as a proper exercise mat, shoulder exercise pulley and etc. Remember, an investment in health pays off in the long run positively.
05 Outstanding Physical Therapy Treatment for Shoulder Pain
As mentioned before, physical therapy offers non-operative ways to fix a problem with the shoulders and can help for the treatment of shoulder pain or either you can get effective massage for pain treatment. Let us have a look at some outstanding physical therapy treatments for our shoulder pain:
Ice Therapy to Cope Shoulder Pain
To add strength and tolerance, ice therapy is best to treat injured spots for acute injuries. It reduces inflammation and swelling; both further acts to remove the pain. This is an easy-to-perform therapy and is done almost immediately after the injury occurs.
Heat Therapy
Another manipulation of temperature that treats shoulder pain is heat therapy which relaxes the muscles and acts as a natural pain killer. You should perform this therapy after 72 hours of injury. Often ice and heat therapy are the best alternatives to relieve the body of pain.
Strengthening Exercises for Shoulder Pain
It is very common for the physical therapist to recommend some strengthening exercises to improve muscle power and agility. Common exercises include pendulum swing or use of shoulder pulley etc. This will have a positive impact on the entire body as exercises lead to a more active day eventually.
Electrification for Shoulder Pain
Minor shocks to the body tissues or muscles can reap great results for the person in pain. The electric simulations simulate the nerves and reduce inflammation. The treatment is performed by experts and just enough shock is used to prick the nerves.
Workplace Ergonomics
Your physical therapist may be inclined to encourage you to work on your posture and the hours that you spend sitting or standing in a particular position or spot. Adjustments in seat level, posture and movement every 60 minutes may do wonders for you. It is necessary to perform stretching and it helps to reduce your stress and other back problems.
Conclusion
Our shoulder joint is a complex structure of 3 bones and many tendons and muscles. Together they allow us to work and perform our daily tasks with ease and comfort. They are engaged with our life throughout the day without us even realizing it. Due to many reasons, they may begin to offer pain or discomfort. Being one of the most complaints, shoulder pain may not necessarily occur due to a disease. It may be bad posture, bad movement or an incident.
The real diagnosis will come from a certified doctor who may then refer you to a certified physical therapist for exercise and relief in pain without having to lie on the operation table. Healthy changes in habits and lifestyle will enhance your overall physical healing process and bring long-term prosperity. You may connect yourself with an expert in the domain to consult about your shoulder pain and avoid medications or surgery.
