The condition that’s often referred to as frozen shoulder goes by many monikers: adhesive capsulitis, painful stiff shoulder, periarthritis, and idiopathic restriction of shoulder movement. Regardless of the name, frozen shoulder presents itself as a stiff, inflexible, and painful shoulder joint and it often arises in a mysterious way that’s sometimes difficult to trace. The […]
Preventing Shoulder Injuries in Athletes
Shoulder injuries are common in athletes, especially those requiring overhead repetitive movements at high velocity and extreme range of motion. For example, shoulder injuries account for 19% of injuries to baseball players and nearly 40% of injuries to swimmers. Because a shoulder injury can sideline an athlete and even prematurely end their season, a current […]
Suprascapular Nerve-Related Shoulder Pain
The shoulder is a very complex region that is comprised of multiple joints and muscle attachments, a strong joint capsular ligament, and multiple nerves and blood vessels that pass into the arm to bring motor and sensory function to the hand and fingers. One condition of the shoulder that may drive a patient to seek […]
Non-Surgical Care for Shoulder Instability
The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints of the body, which allows us to engage in overhead movements that make life easier. However, this comes at a cost. In order for the shoulder to have such a wide range of motion (ROM), it has less stability than most other joints. In fact, shoulder […]
Managing the Arthritic Shoulder
While the shoulder is comprised of four joints, it’s the ball and socket glenohumeral joint that may play the most important role when it comes to the wide range of motion of the upper arm. However, this mobility comes at the cost of stability, which makes the shoulder a common source of injury. Sometimes these […]
HIIT for Improving Shoulder Function
To restore function following a shoulder injury or surgery, it’s important for the patient to perform rehabilitative exercises. While there are many classic exercises that are considered “standard” in rehab post-injury/surgery shoulder conditions, new research suggests that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be more effective. High-intensity interval training is an exercise concept that is characterized […]
Scapular Dyskinesis
The shoulder joint is really four joints—glenohumeral, scapulothoracic, acromioclavicular, and sternoclavicular—that all work in a coordinated manner to maneuver the upper arm. The shoulder blade, or the scapula, is an important player in normal shoulder movement because important muscles and related tissues are anchored in this bone. However, an issue with the scapula is easy […]
Non-Surgical Care for Shoulder Instability in Young Adults
Shoulder instability (SI) occurs when the soft tissues (joint capsule, ligaments, and labrum) that hold the humerus in the shallow ball-and-socket glenohumeral joint become stretched, torn, or detached. When these tissues are damaged, the resulting shoulder instability is characterized as structural. If instability is caused by abnormal muscle activity that places too much or too […]
Common Shoulder Sports Injuries
With many sports requiring overhead movements that can place the shoulder at the extreme end of its range of motion, it’s not surprising that shoulder injuries are so common among athletes. For instance, up to 50% of NCAA college football players have some history of shoulder injury, which comprises about 10-20% of total injuries in […]
Subacromial Impingement Syndrome
Shoulder pain is a VERY common problem, especially among individuals over 40 years old. Experts estimate that between 16-30% of the population has experienced shoulder pain in the last month, with subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) being one of most likely diagnoses made by clinicians. Why is SIS so common? The short answer is because the […]