Shoulder Injuries
Without a doubt, one of the most common body parts treated for physical therapy is the shoulder, usually an injury to the rotator cuff. It is remarkable all the various ways how people hurt their shoulders. Here are a few of the answers given when asked how did you hurt your shoulder?
- I don’t know.
- I was horsing around with my kids, grandkids, brother, etc., and fell on it.
- I was lifting something really heavy.
- I was playing baseball when it popped.
- I guess I was sleeping on it wrong.
- I was reaching for something too high for me when I felt a pain.
- It started hurting after I played golf yesterday.
Arthritis and bursitis are also common causes of shoulder pain. In autopsy studies it has been recorded that tears are noticeable in 70 percent of individuals over the age of 80 and 30 percent in those under the age of 70.
Injuries can occur in any number of ways, but the most common is degeneration of the joint from wear and tear over time, or a traumatic injury (baseball pitcher, assembly line worker, etc.). All of these can cause injury and or tears individually or collectively to the rotator cuff muscles.
Common symptoms of a shoulder injury are pain and weakness. Common complaints include the inability to raise your arm or reach behind to get a wallet out of your back pocket or clasp a bra. Other symptoms may include inability to rotate your arm or brush your hair, etc. This injury often occurs to the dominant arm as it is utilized more.
If you have symptoms of pain and weakness that last for more than 2 – 3 days and are interrupting your ability to sleep, perform daily activities, work, etc., it would be wise to contact your physician. You should also ask your physician to write a referral for physical therapy for treatment to help re-establish your range of motion and decrease pain. The longer you wait, the stiffer the shoulder may become and the more motion you may lose in the process.
