Overcoming Shoulder Impingement with Physical Therapy

Does your shoulder hurt when reaching, lifting over your head, or even rolling in bed? You're suffering from shoulder impingement, a common and highly painful condition that interferes with daily life and happens far too often.

At Summit Physical Therapy in Merrick, NY, we can help you ease your shoulder pain just like we've done for so many of our past patients. Our tailored physical therapy protocols are highly specific to you, as we do not give general exercises. Since we pinpoint the causes of your shoulder impingement to get you on track for proper recovery, we ensure that the conditions do not come back either.

What Is Shoulder Impingement?

The shoulder consists of the rotator cuff muscles and bursa that help with movement. Shoulder Impingement Syndrome is when your rotator cuff tendons and/or bursa get pinched during movement, especially when raising your arm above your head. This pinching occurs more frequently over time and can cause inflammation and degeneration.

Who is at Risk For Shoulder Impingement?

Shoulder Impingement can happen to anyone. However, it happens to specific populations with overhead activities more often. You may find yourself susceptible to shoulder impingement if you are prone to any of the following:

• Athletes: Swimmers, baseball pitchers, tennis players, volleyball players and serious basketball players, and weight lifters.
• Occupational Risks: Painters, carpenters, electricians, hairdressers, anyone with a job that requires reaching above shoulder level frequently.
• Postural Issues: Those with a kyphotic upper back or forward head position may be at a greater risk for developing shoulder impingement.
• Age: With age comes reduced elasticity of tendons and potential for small bone spurs, which may predispose individuals to impingement.
• Trauma/Injury: If you've injured your shoulder before or had any kind of instability there, this is a factor. 
• Muscle Imbalances: Weak rotator cuff and scapular muscles can lead to less-than-ideal shoulder mechanics, potentially resulting in impingement.

What are the Symptoms of Shoulder Impingement?

Identifying signs of shoulder impingement early can prevent more extensive physical therapy down the road. Look for:

• Anterior or lateral shoulder pain: This pain travels down the arm and even to the elbow.
• Pain with overhead activities: Reaching overhead, carrying things overhead, throwing, swimming, painting, window washing.
• Pain at night: Especially when trying to sleep on the affected side.
• Weakness: Inability to lift the shoulder or arm. The feeling of overall weakness in the arm.
• Decreased range of motion: Inability to reach behind your back or over your head.
• A feeling of catching, popping, or snapping when attempting certain movements.

If this sounds familiar, it's time to get an assessment.

Summit Physical Therapy in Merrick offers a comprehensive treatment approach through clinical expertise and evidence-based results to restore proper function of your shoulder.

Physical Therapy Treatment for Shoulder Impingement

As your therapist creates your personalized treatment plan, they will utilize some of the following treatment techniques to create a blended approach:

Pain Management Techniques

Pain management techniques help relieve shoulder impingement pain and facilitate an easier return to daily activities. These include:

• Cold or Heat Therapy: Easy and natural approaches to reduce swelling and pain. Cold application helps to reduce swelling and inflammation, while heat application increases blood circulation and improves your range of motion. 
• Manual Therapy: Therapists employ techniques such as soft tissue massage, passive joint mobilizations, and myofascial release. These are especially helpful for reducing muscle tension, improving joint elasticity, and restoring ease of motion.
• Therapeutic Modalities: Therapeutic ultrasound or electrical stimulation (TENS) administered by the therapist can reduce pain and help with healing in inflamed areas.
• Dry Needling: If appropriate, licensed and educated professionals can provide dry needling to relieve stubborn "knots" or trigger points within the shoulder and surrounding musculature. This can help substantially reduce pain and improve muscle functioning.

Range of Motion Exercises

Range of motion exercises focus on flexibility so you can move your shoulder in multiple directions. These include:

• Gentle Stretching Exercises: In the beginning, your therapist will be gentle. They will use passive or active-assisted movements to gradually and gently allow your shoulder to move without making things worse.
• Progressive Stretching: After the pain goes away, your therapist will implement more active stretches to get your shoulder back to normal range of motion.

Strengthening Exercises

Strengthening exercises help your shoulder get stronger, diminishing the chances you'll develop shoulder impingement in the future. These usually include:

• Rotator Cuff Strengthening: Important for providing your shoulder with dynamic stability. This will involve exercises that target all four rotator cuff muscles, typically starting out with resistance bands or light weights.
• Scapular Stabilization Exercises: Strengthening the muscles that stabilize your shoulder blade. A stabilized shoulder blade provides a stable base for the rotator cuff to operate, thereby preventing pinching and impingement.
• General Shoulder Girdle Strength: Exercises for deltoids, pectorals, and abdominal/back muscles to promote equally distributed strength around your entire shoulder.

Posture Correction and Biomechanical Training

Your posture is a key component of shoulder impingement. Thus, your physical therapist will focus on the following during your sessions:

• Posture Correction: Your therapist will help you avoid poor posture (rounded shoulders, a forward head, etc.) that could be contributing to your impingement in the first place.
• Ergonomic Suggestions: Whether adjusting your desk job workstation or changing your daily activities to reduce excessive stress on your shoulder, this will be helpful, especially if you have a job with lots of repetitive overhead activity.
• New Movement Patterns: You'll learn how to perform daily tasks (picking up, reaching) and sports (throwing, swimming) in safe and effective ways with proper mechanics to avoid a recurrence.

In Conclusion

It's time to stop letting shoulder impingement dictate your life. Whether you want to enjoy a full night's sleep without pain, get back to your favorite sport, or simply reach into a cupboard without that stabbing feeling, physical therapy at Summit Physical Therapy in Merrick is a clear, compassionate, and extremely effective choice.