A Shoulder Injury Is More Common Than You Might Think
Eight million people will visit their family doctor complaining of shoulder pain this year in the USA.Just over half of them will be diagnosed as having a rotator cuff problem. I know it's no comfort to find that you are only one of millions but at least it means that there is research going on about shoulder injuries.
It also means that there is lots of information and resources available to help. Whatever you do, don't try to carry on with a painful shoulder. Unlike a lot of other muscular injuries, most shoulder injuries will only get worse if you carry on using them.
There are generally 2 or 3 major causes of shoulder injury. Wear and tear either through the aging process or repetitive movements, a direct injury such as a fall or knock to the shoulder or as in my case, trying to lift something that was too heavy.
Symptoms again fall into common areas which are pain, weakness and loss of movement. A classic symptom of shoulder injuries is being unable to raise your arm above shoulder height or to the side or in front of you. The amount of movement restriction is a good pointer to the amount of damage that you have suffered.
Most injuries in the shoulder involve muscles, tendons, cartilage or ligaments of the joint rather than the bones themselves. There are seventeen different muscles in and around the shoulder joint any one of which can lead to a painful shoulder. Because the majority of shoulder injuries involve damage to the soft tissue rather than bones physical therapy features strongly in a lot of the treatments but it is important that you do shoulder specific exercises aimed at your specific injury as the wrong exercises can cause more damage and cause serious problems.
The rotator cuff is a classic example of this. The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles that help hold the shoulder in place. They all connect the humerus to the scapula. They are small muscles but extremely important for a healthy shoulder joint. These muscles run under and over other muscles and one of them, the supraspinatus muscle, even runs through a channel in the collar bone or clavicle. If you damage this muscle it can swell under the collar bone. Continuing to use this muscle can result in partial or complete tearsthat will need corrective surgery.
Treatment for shoulder injuries will focus on RICE. Rest, ice, compression and elevation but will also often focus on strengthening the rotator cuff muscles to improve stability in the joint. Any exercise to work on this group of muscles will involve small weights and specific movements that do not stress the muscles. If you experience pain then you are doing it wrong.
The blood supply to the shoulder muscles is not very good and anything you do to improve the blood supply will help with recovery. Massage and heat will both help to increase the blood supply and speed up recovery. It is important to keep you shoulder as mobile as much as you can without causing yourself pain. Exercises where you do not use the muscles of the injured arm will help. Lifting the injured arm with the good arm for example or simply swinging the arm gently can help but stop straight away if you experience any pain
See a doctor, get a diagnosis but also find out as much as you can about your shoulder and the best way to fix it. Remember knowledge is power!
If you found this article interesting check out my full story at
www..myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com
My name is Nick Bryant and I tore my rotator cuff lifting something that was too heavy. Despite being told that I would need surgery I have managed a full recovery with just exercise. Check out how www.myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com">here
Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Exercise Articles Via RSS!
