Shoulder Pain and Posture
I am currently treating a patient who has been dealing with shoulder pain for the last 2 years, caused by a shoulder injury sustained by lifting a heavy object with improper form. Because of this injury, she has not been able to work since.
After a thorough assessment it was evident that the muscles surrounding and stabilizing her shoulder joint were generally weak in all ranges. This can happen when a joint is not used for an extended period of time.
What Causes Shoulder Pain?
In order for you to perform day to day activities, your body will adapt in any way it can to allow you move throughout the day. Unfortunately, the body doesn’t always understand when it is using the correct muscle to perform an action. When the body is consistently in an incorrect posture, certain muscles start to become lazy and stop working, while others begin to work twice as hard and become tight. When this happens, we begin to notice compensation patterns that can effect how the body functions as a whole.
How Can Athletic Therapy Help with Shoulder Pain?
We began working on opening up and releasing some of the tight muscles that were rounding this clients shoulders forward. We also began working on increasing shoulder stability and strength in the back of the shoulder. Once the muscles relaxed I was able to work on mobilizing her shoulder joint, and we began to notice some significant changes in her range of motion! Her shoulders were finally sitting in the correct position to function optimally!
I developed a thorough exercise program for her, which she adhered to strictly by doing the exercises on a daily basis. She has since seen amazing improvements in the strength of both shoulders in all ranges. Her main goal coming in was to get back to work and we are optimistic we will reach this goal!