Shoulder Pain Physiotherapy in Maidenhead
Understanding Shoulder Pain
The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, allowing the arm to move in many directions. This mobility allows us to perform everyday tasks such as lifting, reaching and carrying. However, the complexity of the joint also makes it more vulnerable to injury and instability.
Shoulder pain may develop gradually due to overuse or poor posture, or suddenly following trauma or sports injuries. Common symptoms include pain when lifting the arm, weakness, stiffness and discomfort when lying on the affected shoulder.
At Marie Daniels Physiotherapy in Maidenhead, we provide expert physiotherapy treatment for shoulder injuries and conditions. Through a detailed clinical assessment, we identify the underlying cause of the problem and create a personalised rehabilitation programme to restore strength and mobility.
Common Causes of Shoulder Pain
Rotator Cuff Injuries
The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that stabilise the shoulder joint. Injury or degeneration of these tendons can cause pain, weakness and difficulty lifting the arm.
This condition is common in athletes and people who perform repetitive overhead movements.
Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy
Tendinopathy occurs when the rotator cuff tendons become inflamed or weakened due to excessive load or repetitive use. This can lead to poor shoulder mechanics and instability.
Physiotherapy helps strengthen the rotator cuff muscles and improve shoulder control.
Shoulder Impingement
Shoulder impingement occurs when rotator cuff tendons become pinched within the shoulder joint during movement. This can cause pain when lifting the arm or reaching overhead.
Postural correction and strengthening exercises are important parts of treatment.
Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, causes severe stiffness and restricted movement in the shoulder joint as the joint capsule thickens and tightens.
The condition often progresses through three stages – freezing, frozen and thawing.
How Physiotherapy Can Help Shoulder Pain
Physiotherapy treatment may include:
- Soft tissue massage to reduce muscle tension
- Joint mobilisation to improve shoulder movement
- Strengthening exercises for the rotator cuff
- Postural correction and rehabilitation exercises
- Acupuncture to reduce pain and inflammation
Shoulder Physiotherapy in Maidenhead
Marie Daniels Physiotherapy provides personalised treatment programmes for shoulder pain in Maidenhead and surrounding areas, helping patients regain strength, mobility and confidence in their movement.
Rotator Cuff muscle strain or tear
A tear in one of the rotator cuff muscles is more common in athletes often related to overuse and can lead to wearing down or degeneration of the tendon causing pain and arm weakness. Pain is usually present at night, particularly if lying on the affected shoulder and when lifting and lowering your arm or with specific movement.
The pain and weakness in the shoulder may make routine activities such as combing your hair or reaching behind your back more difficult.
Physiotherapy can help with:
- Soft tissue techniques and massage
- Taping to support the shoulder joint and reduce pain
- Ultrasound to control the inflammation
- Acupuncture for pain relief
- Strengthening exercises
- A referral to a Shoulder Specialist if Physiotherapy is not effective
Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy
Stability from the shoulder joint comes from a group of 4 muscles called the rotator cuff. Tendinopathy refers to swelling and weakening of the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles. This can occur from overuse or faulty biomechanics or excessive load on the rotator cuff muscles causing instability, muscle weakness or capsular tightness and poor movement control when using the arm.
Physiotherapy can identify which rotator cuff muscles are involved through a series of tests and the cause of your shoulder pain.
Physiotherapy can help with:
- Soft tissue techniques and massage
- Taping to support the shoulder joint and reduce pain
- Ultrasound to control the inflammation
- Acupuncture for pain relief
- Exercises, stretching muscles that have become tight due to overuse and strengthening muscles that have become weak to improve the shoulder mechanics
- A referral to a Shoulder Specialist if Physiotherapy is not effective
- Joint mobilisations to reduce pain and stiffness
- Massage to loosen surrounding muscles
- Ultrasound to stimulate blood flow and for pain relief
- Acupuncture to reduce inflammation and pain
- Exercises, involving strengthening, stretching and proprioception to optimise recovery
- A referral to a shoulder specialist maybe required for a steroid injection followed by an intensive physiotherapy programme. For more persistent symptoms, joint distension (hydrodilation), shoulder manipulation or surgery is needed with continued physiotherapy.
Bursitis
Within the shoulder joint are several fluid- filled sacs called bursa which help to reduce friction in your shoulder spaces. Sometimes, they become inflamed (bursitis) and rub against the shoulder joint and various soft tissue structures (ligaments, roator cuff tendons) that help to stabilise the shoulder joint. The pain is often described as a constant dull ache and located over the shoulder. A bursitis is commonly caused by repetitive motions that put pressure on the bursae, such as throwing a ball and people who habitually sleep on the shoulder curled up.
Physiotherapy can help with:
- Manual therapy to reduce shoulder pain
- Joint mobilisations to restore movement
- Exercises to improve posture
Dislocation/Instability
The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body and as such, is the most likely joint to become unstable or to dislocate. In most instances, this is as a direct result of trauma usually while playing sport, with a sudden onset of acute shoulder pain and the patient describing a feeling of the shoulder ‘popping out’.
Physiotherapy can help with:
- Acute management following a dislocation with ultrasound for pain relief, early mobilisation of the shoulder to restore movement loss
- A progressive strengthening programme to help stabilise the shoulder joint
- Taping to reinforce and stabilise the shoulder and prevent another dislocation during sport
- Manual therapy to mobilise stiff joints that maybe contributing to the problem
- Referral to a Shoulder Specialist if surgery is required to stabilise the join
