TIPS, FIX EAST VILLAGE, MOVEMENT THERAPY, PHYSIOTHERAPY
FIX PHYSIOTHERAPIST, SCOTT BRANNY EXPLAINS TREATING SHOULDER PAIN, AND HOW AT FIX WE TAKE WHOLE PERSON APPROACH TO YOUR RECOVERY.
Here at Fix, we use the latest research to guide our assessments and inform treatment. On top of providing evidence-based treatment for your shoulder, we will invest in you as a whole by listening to your story to understand how your shoulder pain is impacting your ability to function and quality of life. We will speak your language and help you achieve your goals.
We want to listen to your story and hear your beliefs, worries and expectations. We want to know what is important to you so that we can help you set meaningful goals. Most shoulders get significantly better in 12 weeks, but some just take longer. It’s therefore important to have realistic expectations and the support you need in order to achieve your goals.
“What is going on with my shoulder?”
Most often, the issue is not a lack of mobility or strength but that the system isn’t engaging effectively. The system not only includes the muscles of your shoulder girdle but also your neck, trunk and lower limbs. In our assessment, we can use symptom modification tests to identify which elements of the system aren’t working well enough. These tests guide our treatment plans and help us get you back to doing the things you love. By showing you that we can reduce your symptoms, we hope to improve your confidence as well as your adherence to the treatment plan.
“The best exercise is the one that’s being done”
When we start to feel pain, we begin to change how we move. Although these protective strategies can be helpful in the short term to reduce symptoms and further injury, they can develop into fear avoidance behaviours and catastrophising beliefs. Fear of movement and disuse causes the shoulder to become even more sensitive and we can end up in a vicious cycle that reduces our confidence and ability to function.
“Do I need a scan?”
It might be hard to believe, but pain doesn’t actually correlate well with imaging (e.g. X-ray, MRI). It just doesn’t tell us the full story. Psychosocial factors such as mental health, emotional well-being and employment status are actually more effective predictors of pain severity and disability levels than scan results.
Those with poor tissue health from smoking or being less active will also require more time and support to achieve their goals.
Loss of sleep (from shoulder pain or other causes) may be more detrimental on your general health than the shoulder pain itself. It leaves us mentally and physically sensitive, keeping us in a vicious cycle of negative beliefs, disuse and impaired function. We can help you find a position that is tolerable so that you get the sleep you need to function better.
With all the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, shoulders are being more stubborn than ever!
“I think I need surgery!”
We hear this all the time. Some patients believe that surgery is the only thing that is going to help them. It’s important to note that the outcomes of those that do and don’t get surgery are very comparable in 75% of patients with rotator cuff tears (the most common reason for shoulder surgery). It is also good to know that delaying surgery doesn’t seem to effect the outcome, but those that DO delay surgery (and try physiotherapy first) show better outcomes at 6 months post-surgery. The saying goes, “the better you are going into surgery, the better you are coming out of it.” Physiotherapy is therefore recommended as the first line of treatment for nearly all shoulder conditions. If physiotherapy alone doesn’t get you back to doing the things you love, we are happy to refer you to one of the excellent shoulder consultants we work closely with.
Suffering from shoulder pain? Don’t wait! Get in touch with us to start receiving the support you need to feel, move and perform better.
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By Scott Branny, Physiotherapist (BUPA Registered)