Shoulders

Anyone who has experienced shoulder pain knows how painful and debilitating it can be.

Sleep can be disturbed and carrying out everyday activities restricted.

Shoulder pain doesn't discriminate with its sufferers represented in all age groups.

It can result from unstable shoulders, notably in children and young adolescents through to torn tendons and dislocations characteristic of sports injuries, tendon degeneration and wear and tear in adults to fractured shoulders resulting from falls in the elderly.

Unstable shoulders also present in young people.

Shoulder pain from an unstable shoulder occurs when the shoulder moves around a lot more than it should especially when the person is active, for example while swimming or throwing.

Pain follows and physiotherapy assists the patient with a rehabilitation program to increase shoulder strength.

Work related repetitive strain type injuries are another source of shoulder pain, however, with expert care, Downs Physiotherapy patients can expect a speedy recovery and a comfortable return to their daily routine.

Patients are referred from throughout southern Queensland to Downs Physiotherapy where experience and the latest techniques are combined to maximise positive results for patients including those requiring pre-operative and post-operative shoulder surgery treatment.

In some instances, physiotherapy can preclude the patient from requiring shoulder surgery which is good news given that shoulder surgery can sometimes incur a year long recovery.

The rehabilitation of any shoulder injury requires skilled management from health professionals and an earnest commitment to recovery from the patient.

Naturally, the time taken to heal will depend on many factors including the severity of the injury and the patient's general health.

However, of all the shoulder complaints, rotator cuff disease is the most commonly treated at Downs Physiotherapy.

It usually occurs in the 30-70 age group and consists of wear and tear of the tendons which help support the head of the arm bone.

Two problems can arise with the tendons in this area.

Firstly, the quality of these tendons may change with age.

Secondly, these tendons may have mechanical problems in moving through the space between the tip of the shoulder and the head of the humerus.

Over time, the tendons can catch under the tip of the shoulder bone called the acromion and thickening can occur.

This exaggerates the risk of injury and the subsequent wearing out of the tendons when they 'fray', like a piece of rope.

Rotator cuff disease can be a difficult condition to manage and people often 'put up with it' for many months until they decide to seek attention for it and visit their general practitioner.

In turn, the GP usually refers the patient on to a physiotherapist for ongoing management.

If shoulder pain has been getting you down, trained Downs Physiotherapy staff can help.

Remember, shoulder rehabilitation requires a high level of motivation and compliance to achieve the best outcome.

Are you up to the challenge?

Call Jackie Robertson 4632 6672 to enlist help today.