Shoulder discomfort is one of the most common conditions our clients experience; it impacts between 80 and 90 percent of all men and women eventually in their life.
Fortunately, shoulder pain isn’t something that unexpectedly appears out of nowhere; its causes are widely known and commonly connected to pinched nerves, over-stretched muscles, or a misalignment of the bones in your shoulder joint.
Physiotherapy is one of the most effective and natural ways to put an end to shoulder pain, however, not everyone understands how it works or what they need to do to start. In this blog post, we’ll explain more about what physiotherapy is and how you can begin getting relief from shoulder pain through physiotherapy in Hamilton Mountain.
What Exactly Is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy is a therapy that concentrates on the treatment and recovery of musculoskeletal conditions. Musculoskeletal conditions are mainly brought on by tissue damage, inflammation, or both.
Physiotherapy works by re-educating your nervous system, muscles, and connective tissues to ease discomfort and enhance motion.
When your nerve system and muscles get the message that discomfort is no longer a factor, they can communicate more effectively and move with less disturbance from the brain.
Physiotherapy can also help alleviate pain triggered by conditions like low back strain, neck stress, shoulder stress, and other conditions that impact the musculoskeletal system.
Is Physical Therapy Effective?
Physical Therapy (Physiotherapy) is a highly customized treatment approach that uses adjustment, muscle energy techniques, exercise programs, patient education, and movement restoration techniques to deal with conditions like low pain in the back, neck discomfort, and shoulder pain.
The physical therapist will work with you individually to assess your shoulder region, movement, and other signs and symptoms. They may then utilize a combination of manual treatment, electrotherapy, and other treatments to help relieve your discomfort and restore your range of motion.
While there are no particular guidelines on how to eliminate shoulder discomfort with physiotherapy, you’ll most likely see a physiotherapist with know-how in the treatment of conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system.
Common Underlying Conditions For Shoulder Pain
- Frozen shoulder
- Shoulder joint issues
- Shoulder abduction
- Soft tissue injuries
- Muscle strain
- Overhead activities
- Degenerative shoulder condition
- Abnormal movement
- Abnormal arm movement
- Pinched nerve root
- Irregular movements of the shoulder complex
- Shoulder blade muscle issues
Effective Treatment and Strategies For Shoulder Discomfort
Physiotherapy treatments for your shoulder pain will depend on the problem you’re experiencing and the severity of your signs and symptoms. Treatments may include:
Hands-on, manual therapy techniques – Manual treatments involve the physiotherapist manually re-aligning your muscles and ligaments, getting rid of knots, and restoring them to their proper positions so that they’re not experiencing undue strain or stress.
“Building up” exercises – Starting with a range of motion exercises we slowly build up to focus more on strengthening the particular muscles that are impacted by shoulder pain. Strengthening active therapy can be done through direct contact with the resistance, through a weight machine, or with your body weight. Doing building-up exercise helps to reduce discomfort and enhance strength in the agonist muscles, which are the primary muscles that trigger your pain.
Stretching routines – Stretching is crucial to prevent injury and improve mobility. Stretching exercises can be carried out through direct contact with the resistance, through a weight machine, or with your body weight. Extending workouts ought to be done routinely to enhance your range of motion and avoid injury.
Active Rest – Active Rest is a type of pain management that concentrates on minimizing pain and increasing the range of movement by increasing mobility through physiotherapy exercises. Active Rest allows you to take part in everyday activities while you’re experiencing shoulder pain.
When Should You Book a Physio Session?
Most people can begin physiotherapy treatments on their own without the need to see a physician; if you need to see a therapist for a shoulder injury, you ought to call your local physiotherapist for a visit.
How Often Should You Have Physiotherapy?
The frequency of your physiotherapy sessions depends upon the intensity of your symptoms, how long you’ve been experiencing them, and how effective your physiotherapy treatments are. Your physiotherapist will work with you to create a treatment schedule that works best for your symptoms and your schedule. You might have as many as three sessions per week and a maximum of 4 weekly. If you have been experiencing shoulder discomfort for a long period, you should have physiotherapy treatments a minimum of one time a week for six to eight weeks.
Tips on Relieving Shoulder Pain After A Physio Session
Following the recommendations and stretches prescribed by your physiotherapist is important for preserving the effectiveness of your treatment plan.
You should consider following these simple suggestions for reducing your discomfort after your physiotherapy session:
Take it slow – be sure to take it easy when you’re experiencing discomfort after your treatment. If you need to lift or pull something, ask a friend to help out. Don’t hurry or push through your signs and symptoms. They will only worsen if you do.
Ice – Ice therapy is a great method to minimize inflammation and help to break up scar tissue in the short term. You can use an ice pack or ice in a bag (a freezer bag with ice cubes frozen inside) to help relieve your shoulder pain.
Elevate – Raising your shoulder and preventing sleeping on your front is vital for post-physiotherapy healing. While raising your shoulder is crucial, you ought to always stay clear of heavy lifting.
Rest Your Shoulder – While resting your shoulder is important, you should stay away from totally resting your shoulder. Resting your shoulder entirely will only enable the muscles to re-tighten, resulting in pain and inflammation.
Attempt a New, Low-Intensity Exercise – If an exercise isn’t working for you or is triggering discomfort, try a different one. If you’ve been doing an exercise that causes discomfort, try a different variation. You can always alter the exercise after you’ve done it for a couple of weeks.
Don’t Overdo It – Working out too regularly or too intensely can wear down your body and trigger injury. You ought to always listen to your body and steer clear of pressing yourself too hard. If you’re experiencing discomfort in any way, avoid it and discuss it with your physiotherapist.
Final Thoughts
Physiotherapy is an extremely individualized therapy approach that uses mobilizations, muscle therapy techniques, as well as motion re-education to treat problems like pain in the back, neck discomfort, and shoulder discomfort.
At Gage Physiotherapy & Foot Clinic, treatments depend upon the extent of your signs, how long you have been experiencing them, as well as how severe they are.
You should always follow our physiotherapist’s guidelines for treating your condition and avoid doing anything that would certainly intensify your symptoms. If you follow this suggestion, you’ll get a remedy for your shoulder discomfort.
Valerie Van Woudenberg
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