Functional Healing for Shoulder Impingement Syndrome

Functional Healing for Shoulder Impingement Syndrome

Shoulder pain when reaching, lifting, or sleeping on your side? You may be dealing with Shoulder Impingement Syndrome—a common yet often misunderstood condition. While most treatments focus only on the painful joint, the real issue often starts far from the shoulder itself.

Shoulder impingement happens when soft tissues in the shoulder become compressed during overhead or repetitive movements. The space between the acromion (a bony projection of the shoulder blade) and the humerus (upper arm bone) narrows, and it pinches the rotator cuff or bursa (fluid-filled sacs that cushion the rotator cuff tendons). Over time, this causes:

• Pain when lifting or reaching
• Inflammation
• Weakness
• Limited range of motion

While many believe impingement is due to overuse alone, in truth, the body’s movement system as a whole often sets the stage for the problem.

How Movement Dysfunction Causes Impingement

The shoulder doesn’t operate in isolation. In fact, healthy shoulder function depends on the entire body moving in harmony. Limited mobility or dysfunction in surrounding areas leads to compensations—and that’s when impingement shows up.

1. Thoracic Spine Stiffness
Your mid-back needs to extend and rotate during overhead movements. If it’s stiff, your shoulder will reach higher than it should, forcing the humeral head upward and into the acromion.

2. Poor Scapular Control
The scapula (shoulder blade) acts as a stable platform for shoulder movement. If it doesn't upwardly rotate, tilt, and glide properly, the subacromial space narrows—leading to pinching and irritation.

3. Hip or Core Dysfunction
Throwing, lifting, and reaching should begin from your hips and core. If those areas aren’t contributing, your shoulder ends up absorbing more force than it was built to handle.

4. Foot and Ankle Restrictions
Even limitations in your foot and ankle can affect your shoulder. Dysfunctional gait or posture alters how you load your spine and scapula, ultimately disrupting shoulder mechanics.

Healing Impingement with AFS Physical Therapy

Traditional treatments—like rest, injections, or shoulder-only exercises—often miss the mark because they ignore the root cause of impingement: full-body movement dysfunction. That’s why we use Applied Functional Science™ (AFS) at Superior Physical Therapy.

AFS Physical Therapy is a movement-based model that looks at the entire kinetic chain—how your feet, hips, spine, and shoulders work together. Instead of chasing symptoms, we fix the true source of the problem.

Here’s How AFS Physical Therapy Heals Shoulder Impingement Syndrome:

1. Whole-Body Movement Evaluation
We analyze how you walk, squat, reach, and rotate. This helps us spot dysfunctions that might be overloading your shoulder, even if they’re in your hips or spine.

2. Restore Mobility Where It’s Missing
Targeted mobility work focuses on: Thoracic extension and rotation; Scapular glide and tilt; Hip and ankle joint mobility. When these areas move freely, your shoulder no longer has to overcompensate.

3. Rebuild Movement Coordination
We teach your body how to move as a system again—improving timing, control, and muscle sequencing so your shoulder operates in a safe, efficient environment.

4. Functional Strength Integration
We don’t just isolate shoulder muscles—we strengthen real-life movement patterns, such as reaching, lifting, and rotating with whole-body involvement.

Results that Last

By resolving movement dysfunctions throughout the body, AFS not only relieves impingement pain—it prevents it from coming back. Our patients often say: “I came in for shoulder pain, but ended up learning about my whole body. Now I move better, and feel better than ever.”

Get your FREE copy of the book, The Truth Unveiled: Secrets of Shoulder Pain Relief by Dr. Gorecki and Dr. Fuson: https://www.thesuperiortherapy.com/shoulderbook

Get more flexibility in your shoulders using this simple stretch: https://youtu.be/2tWGHN_SiMw?si=wGjgGC3_wJBu8VTi