What you should know about diagnosing and treating shoulder pain

Your shoulder is an important joint made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons that help your arm move and carry weight. Since your shoulder is composed of so many parts, it can get hurt for a number of reasons.

Shoulder pain may be related to strain or overexertion. In many of these cases, you should be fine after a few days of taking it easy, icing and using over-the-counter pain medication. However, shoulder discomfort can also be severe and long lasting, and when it is, it’s likely that you have an issue such as a rotator cuff injury. Physical therapists can help you learn the root cause of your shoulder symptoms. Additionally, they can help you find treatment options for shoulder conditions that are personalized to your needs. 

How is the cause of shoulder pain diagnosed?

If you are suffering from shoulder pain, your physical therapist will assess your shoulder to form a treatment plan. To do this, they will need to examine your symptoms, ask questions about your medical history and perform a series of tests.

Many of these tests can be done in a physical therapy clinic, and they’re intended to test your pain level, range of motion and muscle strength. However, your physical therapist might also recommend that you have other types of tests performed by other medical professionals. Some of these other tests can include: 

• Computed tomography (CT) scans
• X-rays
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
• Electromyograms

What can a physical therapist do to treat your shoulder pain?

Severe cases of shoulder pain may require surgery for treatment, but many shoulder issues can be effectively treated with physical therapy.

Physical therapy is an excellent option for treating shoulder issues because physical therapists are skilled in treating the musculoskeletal system. This is the system that includes your muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, joints and cartilage. In other words, everything that makes up your shoulder.

Physical therapy for shoulder conditions aims to reduce discomfort and restore mobility. This is primarily done by doing exercises intended to strengthen and stretch the muscles and ligaments. Other treatment options your physical therapist might use include: 

• McKenzie Method^®
• Dry needling
• Manual therapy
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)

Physical therapy can also help you recover from shoulder surgery if your condition requires it. If you have to get shoulder surgery, talk to your physical therapist about your pre-surgical therapy and post-surgical rehab options.

Advent Physical Therapy offers effective treatment for shoulder pain

Are you looking for help with reducing your shoulder pain and restoring its functionality? Our Advent Physical Therapy team is here to help you meet these goals and more. We offer free screenings that are intended to pinpoint the cause of your shoulder symptoms. Our team can then construct a personalized therapy plan for you to help you meet your goals. 

Unable to come to an in-person appointment? It’s OK! We offer services like at-home therapy and virtual care that you can use without leaving your home. Even better, we can get you started with your physical therapy even if you don’t have a doctor’s referral. 

Contact us today to schedule an initial appointment or to find out more about how physical therapy can help you.