The most common cause of shoulder pain in the clinic is a degenerative rotator cuff tear. The good news though is that conservative physio management has a massive success rate in improving pain and function!
A degenerative rotator cuff tear can happen with no apparent cause, commonly within older individuals and can be really debilitating. The Rotator cuff is comprised of 4 separate muscles that control the rotational movements of the shoulder and the overall stability of the joint. When a tear happens in the region it can lead to a lot of pain and make even the most simple of tasks such as getting dressed a nightmare. The first line of approach for treating these shoulder injuries involves a progressive lightweight strength training program even before pain has subsided. Thankfully, studies have shown that with these partial degenerative type tears the loading of the shoulder joint and rotator cuff muscles actually leads to an increased rate of tendon healing with 34% presenting as normal (and 50% more improving to a tendinosis) within 6 months!
For support or advice, please contact the clinic on (02) 8317 7770 and book an appointment today!
REFERENCES
Source: Lucas Kalinak, ProHealth Physio
Title: Degenerative Rotator Cuff
Read Time: 5 minutes