Frozen shoulders is a progressive condition which involves an increase in pain, and gradual decrease in range of motion of the arm. This can cause difficulty with grooming, performing overhead activities, dressing, and particularly fastening items behind the back. Frozen shoulder can be a self-limiting disease which can last for a long time. Physiotherapy can help with a diagnosis, treatment and management plan which can help reduce your pain and improve your function in everyday life.
There are 4 individual rotator cuff muscles that work to stabilise the shoulder joint: supraspinatous; infraspinatous; subscapularis; teres minor. These rotator cuff muscles can be damaged or torn with either repetitive movements or a sudden forced over load such as from a fall. With repetitive movements at work or in sport degenerative tears can occur as a result of the normal ageing process of the tendon. The pain is most often very debilitating and can travel down the arm into the elbow or wrist. Your sleep is often disturbed and this type of injury will almost always impact your daily life. Physiotherapy can help with a diagnosis, treatment and management plan which can help reduce your pain and improve your function in everyday life. In some cases the physiotherapist may need to refer you to see and Orthopaedic consultant.
Shoulder impingement is a common cause of shoulder pain. Itโs also known as impingement syndrome. It is common in athletes who use their shoulders a lot and also in people who perform repetitive movement tasks of the shoulder in everyday life. Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that attach your upper arm bone to your shoulder. They help you lift and rotate your arm. The rotator cuff sits under the top of the shoulder, which is called the acromion. If you have shoulder impingement, your rotator cuff catches or rubs against the acromion. When you lift your arm, the space (bursa) between the rotator cuff and acromion narrows, which increases pressure. The increased pressure irritates the rotator cuff, leading to impingement. Many cases of shoulder impingement are caused by overuse. Repeated use of the shoulder can make the tendons in your shoulder swell, leading them to โcatchโ on your upper shoulder bone. The main symptom of shoulder impingement is sudden pain in your shoulder when you lift your arm overhead or backward. Other symptoms include: minor but constant pain in your arm, pain that goes from the front of your shoulder to the side of your arm, pain that gets worse at night, shoulder or arm weakness. Physiotherapy can help by providing a diagnosis, treatment, management plan and progressive rehabilitation program to help you with everyday tasks and the activities you enjoy.
