Do you have pain in your shoulder when using your arm above your head? Does your shoulder feel uncomfortable when you’re getting dressed in the morning? Is it painful to lie on your shoulder at night? Do you have restricted range of movement and unable to put your arm out to the side or behind your back?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then please keep reading below for more information and how seeing one of osteopaths can help reduce your pain and get you back to doing the things you love!

The shoulder joint is largely controlled and stabilised by four main muscles known as the rotator cuff. These muscles and their tendons (attach muscle to bone) are prone to injury, particularly overuse injuries due to repetitive use to the shoulder during sport, work or other day to day activities at home.

Common conditions of the shoulder

These are the common conditions that we see in clinic:
Subacromial Impingement/buritis
Rotator cuff tendinopathy/tear
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
Labral tear/SLAP lesion

How can an osteopath help with my shoulder pain?

Your osteopath will ask you a detailed case history and perform a full examination of the shoulder and surrounding areas to diagnose your condition. They will then work with you to formulate an individualised treatment and rehabilitation program. An essential part of this program is identifying and addressing aggravating factors, which helps reduce pain and allow the injured tissues to heal. Once your pain has eased, your osteopath will then take you through an exercise program to build strength in key muscle groups and improve mobility at the shoulder, upper back and neck. This will help reduce the risk or reinjury by improving your shoulder biomechanics (how you use and move your shoulder). If your osteopath thinks you need imaging of the shoulder or may benefit from seeing a specialist they can refer you on as needed.

What can I do to help myself?

The treatment and management of each of the above conditions above will vary, however here are some simple things you can do at home to help:
· Avoid overhead activities with your injured arm in the initial phases of management to allow the tissues to settle down.
· Use either ice or heat (as advised by osteopath) for symptomatic relief. Use for a maximum of 20 minutes and don’t use directly on your skin.
· Use a tennis ball or similar to perform gentle self-massage to the muscles around our shoulder, upper back and neck as directed by your osteopath.
· Undertake an ergonomic desk setup to address any aggravating factors. This is something your osteopath can help you with.
· Perform the exercises your osteopath has prescribed as consistently as possible as they are designed to assist your body heal and rebuild strength in the injured muscles and surrounding areas.

What next

We understand how debilitating shoulder pain can be so if you have any questions or would like to book in with one of our osteopaths, please call 5977-0466 or click on the link above to book now.