Hey Team,

Today we look at the impact of shoulder pain and how to eliminate fast. Many times people will develop pain secondary to repetitive light activity or from lifting something heavy away from the body or overhead. Shoulder Impingement is the most common culprit of shoulder pain.

Pain to the side of the shoulder, consisting of a sharp stabbing pain followed by a dull ache, is common. In fact, shoulder impingement is one of the most common injuries a person will experience in their life… almost as prevalent as low back pain. Shoulder impingement is characterized as a "pinching" occurring to the rotator cuff on the shoulder with the humerus (upper arm long bone) and the acromion (bone on top of the shoulder). Why does this occur? Lack of joint space. Any activity creating a lack of joint space to this region will narrow the room for the rotator cuff to travel through, thus creating a "pinching" effect. Common causes of reducing joint space are inflammation, a tight shoulder joint, repeated overhead activity, long durations working overhead, or improper sleeping position.

Here is an explanation of Shoulder Impingement and why it occurs overall: CLICK ON THE VIDEO

4 WAYS TO SHUT DOWN SHOULDER PAIN

Commonly, shoulder pain will continue to irritate for weeks to months without some behavior change. People will decrease use to the shoulder, lift lighter amounts or avoid any activity. Here we look at four common ways to shut down shoulder pain. Here are the exact solutions I tell my patients and use myself:

1. Reduce overhead activity: Repeated shoulder overhead movement with shoulder impingement will only make matters worse. While lifting overhead, the natural anatomy of the shoulder minimizes available joint space. Lifting over shoulder height should be avoided to mitigate pinching to the shoulder.

2. Pendulum exercise: A classic exercise to assist with shoulder pain is the pendulum exercise. In this exercise, the arm will hang towards the floor as you lean forward. (it is best to place the opposite hand on a table or chair to support the back). Lightly swing the arm side to side in a gentle and rhythmic pattern.

3. Modified Sleeper Stretch: Stretching the capsule behind the shoulder assists in minimizing impingement. Why? Because this opens the capsule further and improves the rotator cuff position between the two bone structures.

4. Sleep with pillow underarm: Sleeping directly on the involved shoulder usually creates pain, but allowing the arms to lift overhead while sleeping also makes pain. One solution is to sleep on one side with the active shoulder towards the ceiling. Grab a small pillow and place it under the shoulder, assisting in generating greater blood flow for the rotator cuff.

These are simple techniques I teach my patients with shoulder pain, but I also use myself when performing too much activity. Shoulder pain is treatable, and the ability to minimize discomfort to any shoulder injury is available. These techniques are proven to reduce your pain almost immediately. But what about the perpetual pain that continues to hurt day after day? Continued shoulder pain can occur because of what you are not doing… more than what you are doing.

I sure hope these help get you going in your life and feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you have further questions or feedback.

Keep Moving!

Rob

The author, Rob Sumner, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Sumner Specialized Physical Therapy. He's happy to answer any questions about this article, wellness, fitness, or physical therapy overall by phone at (509) 684-5621 or by email at Rob@SumnerPT.com