Are You Looking For Effective Relief of Your Shoulder Bursitis?
Have you been diagnosed with a rotator cuff tendinopathy or shoulder bursitis? Are you experiencing pain at the tip of your shoulder and wondering about your potential diagnosis?
Shoulder tendinopathies – or perhaps you have been given a diagnosis of a tendinitis or tendinosis – are your overuse or ‘wear and tear’ injuries of the shoulder. These injuries often involve repetitive shoulder movement in conjunction with poor muscular control which place strain or compression onto your rotator cuff tendons. This results in pain, and if left untreated, eventually a ‘bursitis’.
A number of factors can increase the likelihood of these pathologies. Most significantly, a rounded shoulder posture and rounded upper back posture can decrease the amount of sub-acromial space. This is the space between the tip of the shoulder and the underside of your collarbone, where your rotator cuff tendons and bursa pass. Furthermore, weakness in your rotator cuff muscles can result in superior migration of your humeral head – a fancy way of saying that your arm bone moves higher in the shoulder socket as you are elevating your arm.
The result is that the structures in this sub-acromial space become compressed and irritated. These structures include the rotator cuff tendons and the sub-acromial bursa.
In the absence of trauma, it is highly uncommon for the bursa to become inflamed without an underlying tendinopathy. As such, as a part of your rehabilitation it is important to address this underlying cause to prevent your pain from recurring. Furthermore, if you are considering a cortisone injection for your shoulder pain, these injections are highly effective at treating the inflammation of the bursa, yet do not address the muscle strength or postural issues that may have been underlying this inflammation.
Move Physiotherapy are your experts in treating shoulder pain. We offer longer consultation times to comprehensively assess your shoulder pain, provide a detailed diagnosis and assess contributing factors that may be contributing to towards your shoulder pain.
To book your appointment at Move Physiotherapy, you can call us at the clinic on 08 6113 8062, or follow this link to book online.
TREATMENT OF SHOULDER TENDINOPATHY OR BURSITIS
Stage 1: De-Loading and Symptom Relief
The first goal of your rehabilitation will be to reduce your pain levels. This will firstly require a period of de-loading, where we have to reduce our exposure to heavy loaded activities. Furthermore, we will have to minimise movements that compress the tendon or bursa, such as overhead activities and stretching the arm across the body.
Your physiotherapist will begin to address postural elements that decrease the sub-acromial space, such as a rounded shoulder posture or rounded upper back posture. They may employ techniques such as massage, dry needling or joint manipulation.
Often, anti-inflammatory medication can assist in subsiding your pain at this stage.
Stage 2: Gradual Strengthening, Adhering to Shoulder Pain Levels
Once your pain levels have decreased – generally to a level below 4/10 – your physiotherapist can begin strengthening your rotator cuff musculature. This will initially involve positions that do not compress the rotator cuff tendons or bursa, such as with your arms by your side.
Prior to beginning rotator cuff strengthening, it is important to be able to activate your postural muscles such as your midback or thoracic spine extensor muscles.
Stage 3: Progression Into Overhead Activities
Once you have achieved good control with your arms by your side, your physiotherapist will gradually introduce strengthening in positions that gradually work you towards overhead activities.
Stage 4: Sport Specific Training
The final stage of your rehabilitation is returning you to the activities that you love doing – or, in situations such as hanging the washing on the line – the activities you have to be doing.
At Move Physiotherapy we will work with you to ensure that you are confident and ready to return your sport or activity without risk of re-injury!
OUR SERVICES
Dry Needling
Acupuncture needles applied directly to muscular trigger points to reduce muscle tone and improve blood flow.
Exercise Rehabilitation
Individually tailored and supervised exercises utilising our fully equipped gym, to help you get moving again after injury or surgery.
Sports Physiotherapy
Our physiotherapists have experience in a range of sports including Australian Rules Football, Gridiron, Netball and Basketball.
Massage Therapy
Utilising a range of techniques to improve circulation, blood flow, reduce muscle tension and improve joint mobility.
Clinical Pilates
Individually tailored by our Physiotherapists to address core stability and improve movement.