Our shoulders are very flexible joints and their dexterity allows us to use our arms effectively for activities such as reaching, carrying, writing, dressing, general activities and most sports. When we have pain or stiffness in our shoulders it can be problematic.  

Understanding why a shoulder is stiff or painful is the key to returning your shoulder to good function. The pain can be from the shoulder, neck, upper back regions, muscle weakness or muscle tightness. Sometimes problems with biomechanics in the hips or legs can be related to shoulder dysfunction.

People often get concerned that they may have a tear in their rotator cuff and may need it surgically repaired. Rotator cuff tears are so normal most people have them without knowing as they do not cause problems. If they do cause problems physiotherapy should be the first course of action as research tells us the outcomes are the same for both options at 1-year post injury and also physiotherapy is cheaper without the possible side-effects of surgery.

At Burns Bay Physiotherapy we assess the factors contributing to your problem and then devise a plan of how to help you. This usually involves a combination of hands on treatment and exercises.

Published in “The Village Observer, September, 2019. Written by Burns Bay Physiotherapy