Shoulder Pain- The Real Causes

Shoulder pain can be one of the most frustrating problems to deal with because it is very difficult to treat your own shoulder. This inability leads to frustration, increased pain, lack of sleep, decreased activity, and depression. It can also lead to pain killers, expensive MRI’s, multiple injections, and surgeries.  In fact, there has been a 75% increase in shoulder surgeries in the past 10 years.

The sad news is that none of these options actually fixes the root cause of your pain, they only mask the symptoms.

There is a Lasting Solution

But there is a lasting solution without the use of medications and injections, or surgery. This solution starts with identifying the root cause of your shoulder pain.  As physical therapists, we know that most shoulder pain comes from a musculoskeletal dysfunction. This dysfunction is the root cause of any shoulder pain diagnosis you may have received.

This dysfunction is often times not in the actual shoulder itself but in the areas surrounding the shoulder.  Most commonly people have lack of motion in the thoracic spine (upper back) or shoulder blade. This lack of motion creates an excess of motion in the shoulder joint creating stress, inflammation and pain.  A third very common area in they body that is overlooked by most healthcare providers is the ability for the hips to help the shoulder. Most of the strength when lifting an object using the shoulders comes from the hips. If the hips are moving well it will cause the shoulder to have more stress.

Only One Healthcare Practitioner Fully Understands Shoulder dysfunctions.  Most providers are really good at naming the condition or diagnosing the problem but this only names the symptom, it doesn't identify the dysfunction causing the symptom.  I made a quick video that describes the most common diagnosis of shoulder pain. You can watch it here.  

As physical therapists, we also know that once we address the root dysfunction, the shoulder pain goes away. Unfortunately, most health care practitioners don’t understand this simple connection between musculoskeletal dysfunction and shoulder problems. They are not taught about it in school and are not trained to treat it in their residencies. Physical therapists are both knowledgeable and equipped to treat shoulder dysfunction and heal your shoulder.

Our bodies are actually designed to heal themselves.  But in order to do so, they must have the correct environment for healing. The root dysfunction must be removed for the body to heal.  This Is where we come in….

At Superior Physical Therapy, we specialize in helping people find out the ROOT CAUSE of their shoulder pain.  So before seeking out medications, injections, or surgery, I urge you to give us a call. We can help you heal, give you the tools you need to stay healthy and stay out of the doctor’s office or hospital!

To schedule an appointment with one of our shoulder pain specialists call us at 231.944.6541.

Or attend our Free Shoulder Pain Relief Workshop on September 17^th. Call 231-941-6541 or visit https://www.thesuperiortherapy.com/shoulderpainrelief to sign up.