Stop It Before It Starts: Simple Tips to Prevent Shoulder Pain
If you’ve ever suffered a shoulder injury, then you know how debilitating it can be. Not only are you experiencing persistent pain, but most shoulder injuries also restrict the range of motion in the joint, making day-to-day tasks — from grabbing a cup off the high shelf to brushing your hair — feel nearly impossible.
At Prevail Physical Therapy Services, our team of physical therapists will work with you to identify and resolve the underlying causes of your shoulder pain. We offer acute pain relief and can guide you through complete shoulder rehabilitation regardless of whether or not you require surgery, and often, you can resolve a shoulder injury with physical therapy alone!
But that process can take a while, and we want to help you avoid shoulder injuries, too. While we do incorporate injury prevention information into our rehab programs, it’s never a bad time to start incorporating small changes into your routine that can help prevent shoulder pain.
If you’d like to learn more about how we help prevent and alleviate shoulder pain, call us to schedule an appointment today!
What Causes Shoulder Pain and Injury, Anyway?
Your shoulder is an incredibly complex ball-and-socket joint with several moving parts, including:
- Three separate bones: the humerus (arm bone), scapula (shoulder blade), and clavicle (collarbone)
- Cartilage that wraps and protects these bones from rubbing against each other
- The three main ligaments that connect your shoulder’s bones
- A collection of muscles and tendons known as the rotator cuff that wrap and support the shoulder joint
- Bursae: small fluid-filled sacs that protect your tendons
Damaging any of these structures can lead to shoulder pain, weakness, and immobility. Some people injure their shoulders through sudden, acute injuries, especially if they’re active — a hard fall on the football field could tear their rotator cuff or dislocate the arm bone out of their shoulder socket.
However, many shoulder injuries are actually overuse injuries, meaning the pain and immobility symptoms occur due to repeated micro-injuries in your shoulder’s tissue. Often, sports-related shoulder injuries are actually due to overuse, as repeated overhead motions (such as throwing a ball or certain swimming strokes) put stress on the shoulder joint, leading to symptoms.
Using improper form can also contribute to overuse injuries, such as improper posture — a weak upper back strains your shoulder muscles, making them do more work than needed.
Preventing shoulder pain is really about preventing these overuse injuries. By making small changes, you can keep your shoulders strong, healthy, and pain-free!
5 Ways You Can Help Prevent Shoulder Pain
1. Strengthen your upper body with key exercises to address rotator cuff strength, muscle imbalances and posture:
Strong upper back and shoulder muscles are better able to provide the shoulder joint with the support and stability it needs, meaning you’ll be less likely to suffer an injury. Not sure how to get started? Our PTs can walk you through some appropriate exercises.
2. Keep your mobility:
The shoulder joint has more range of motion than any other joint in the body and small limitations can create a variety of shoulder maladies. We can find your specific shoulder mobility limitations and teach you exercises to target your specific needs.
3. Don’t forget to warm up first:
Many popular recreational activities put you at risk for a shoulder injury, including swimming, pickleball, and tennis. It’s crucial that you warm up your shoulder before you dive in. Try some quick cardio paired with active shoulder stretches (like arm circles).
4. Maintain proper posture:
Proper posture isn’t about standing up straight all the time; it’s about maintaining postural awareness and keeping your spine in alignment no matter what you’re doing. Forward curves in your upper spine compromises the functional range of motion of the shoulder joint and can create joint impingement and repetitive stress injuries.
5. Pay attention to ergonomics:
If your workspace isn’t shoulder-friendly, you might wind up with an overuse injury. Simple changes — like adjusting the height of your computer monitor or maintaining good posture when using hand tools — will reduce repetitive stress and lower your chances of developing shoulder pain.
Need A Little Help? We’ve Got You
The Prevail Physical Therapy Services physical therapists can help you prevent shoulder injuries as easily as we can treat them! Whether you’re looking for a shoulder stretch and strength routine, postural corrections, or some simple ergonomic adjustments, we’re here for you.
Call us today to get started!
How Physical Therapy Can Help Sports Injuries This Spring
At Prevail Physical Therapy Services, we are experienced in dealing with all spring sports season injuries and can give you the programs to prepare you for the season and prevent new injuries! Are you looking forward to getting out on the courts? Do you look forward to golf or the start of baseball/softball season?
The winter seasons can be sedentary and lead to more aches, pains, and discomfort than one may think. Fortunately, the warm weather is a great time to get outdoors and play sports.
If you find yourself in pain from a throwing injury or a bad swing of the club or racquet this spring, or you’d like to discuss ways you can get in shape to prevent any injury, don’t hesitate to contact Prevail Physical Therapy Services.
Whether you are a young athlete or have played sports for decades, our physical therapists know how to treat your injuries and get you back in the game.
What to Expect from Physical Therapy
The overall goal of physical therapy is healing and prevention. In addition to treating the injury, our physical therapists will help resolve any pain, restore motion and strengthen the affected area to prevent additional injury.
An effective rehabilitation program depends on a thorough history to understand the exact nature of the injury and the athlete’s goals. We use the information gathered in the initial evaluation to identify the underlying condition and pathology of the symptoms.
The initial stages of physical therapy will focus on restoring any lost motion, reducing the swelling, and using all available treatments to alleviate any pain you may experience.
Your physical therapist will incorporate manual techniques and modalities to reduce pain and inflammation before initiating active rehabilitation. Our programs focus on correcting dysfunction and/or improper technique and equipment.
Dysfunctional movement patterns can last for years, leading to re-injury and other injuries. Our therapists will design a comprehensive program that includes restoring range of motion, strengthening, neuromuscular control, proprioceptive responses, and sports-specific exercises. We will look for any changes in your gait pattern that may make it difficult for you to move around freely.
Our physical therapists will show you therapeutic exercises to address any underlying issue, such as a weakness that may be contributing to altered movement patterns, balance issues, and overall susceptibility to more injuries. We will perform a comprehensive assessment to ensure we provide the tools you need to enjoy the sport you love!
Contact Prevail Physical Therapy Services To Schedule An Appointment
We will work with you at Prevail Physical Therapy Services to accommodate your needs by providing the most advanced rehabilitation strategies and injury prevention programming.
For more information, contact us today!
Our Patients Get Great Results
“I chose Prevail Physical Therapy on Aurora for my knee issue because of their prompt response and fast scheduling.
I am grateful for Dr. Keagan Tice, Tom, Vanessa, and Jordan (sorry I forgot the other girl’s name at the front desk). Dr. Keagan is very knowledgeable about professional communication skills. I see improvement with each PT session. He adds new exercises as I progress and encourages me to do more. My knee is improving every time with each session, and I’m confident to recover fully. The front desk staff are very helpful and greet me with a smile each time I go there. I sincerely appreciate Dr. Keagan, Tom, and the front desk staff.”
– Meseret D.
May Word Scramble
edaldnnoi
nhiigfs
uuasrt
prsnig
eskbta
lveendar
Answer Key
dandelion
fishing
taurus
spring
basket
lavender
Family-Friendly Spring Activities
Try a New Outdoor Sport
As it begins to warm up, try picking up a new outdoor sport such as biking, rollerblading, hiking, golfing, fishing, or kayaking. These are all fun things you can do to get your blood pumping and introduce more physical activity into your routine after sitting at home for so many months!
Visit an Outdoor Farmers Market
If you love fresh and locally grown fruits and vegetables, a farmers market might be right up your alley! Visiting an outdoor farmers market gives you a chance to get some fresh air and hand-select the best produce, jams, preserves, and jellies for you to take home to try.
Go See a Drive-In Movie
This is a great spring activity, especially because you can roll down your windows and enjoy a nice breeze as you watch on the big screen. You could even invite people outside of your household to park their car near yours so you can watch it together.
Break Out the Gardening Tools
Do you love gardening and growing your vegetables, herbs, and flowers? If so, spring is calling your name! It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get your knees dirty in the backyard. Gardening is a great spring activity that provides some physical activity, and an excuse to get fresh air. Make sure to start with great soil and research the types of flowers and foods that grow the best in your climate.
Take a Scenic Drive
So many parts of nature come back to life in the spring, so why not take a scenic drive now and then to get out of the house? Try getting off the interstate and going the long way around to see some trees, fields, or parks – just make sure you have a GPS or know how to get home safely!
Make the Most of this Spring
We all deserve to enjoy spring for what it is: a new beginning. Try some of these fun activities to add a bit of joy to your daily routine!
Exercise of the Month
PRONE ARM REACH BACK
Lie face down on an exercise table with your upper chest supported and both arms hanging straight down off the sides, holding a light weight in each hand. With palms facing in, slowly raise your arms backward toward your hips in a sweeping motion, keeping them close to your body. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top, then lower your arms back down with control.
3 Sets, 10 Reps. (Materials needed: exercise table, light weights)
Come Back to Physical Therapy at Prevail!
Feeling pain or slowed down? Come back to Prevail Physical Therapy for a personalized plan to get you strong, pain-free, and moving again!
Tell Your Story!
Had a great experience at Prevail Physical Therapy? We’d love to hear from you! Share your review and help others discover the care and support we offer.
Follow Us on Social Media!
These Smoked Salmon, Avocado, and Cucumber Bites are crisp, refreshing, and packed with rich, savory flavor in every bite. They make an elegant yet easy snack or appetizer that’s perfect for light, feel-good indulgence.