What is a shoulder impingement?
Shoulder impingement is the trapping of tendons or bursa within the shoulder joint during movement. The structures most typically affected are the rotator cuff muscle tendons and the acromion bursa. The mechanical action that most often tends to cause impingement is repeated overhead arm movements such as swimming or tennis. Occupations like painters or builders are also at higher risk. The impingement can cause pain and swelling that leads to weakness and restricted mobility. Left untreated the affected tissues can become inflamed causing more pain and restriction.
What causes shoulder impingement?
Shoulder impingement may result from a number of factors based on your own physical condition, the activities you undertake and external events, such as accidental injury. Impingement is broadly split into two categories, primary causes are structural in nature and secondary causes relate to movement or posture. The risk of impingement increases as we age due to increased laxity in the joint tissues and muscle weakness. Normal wear and tear on the joint surfaces can trigger the growth of bony spurs called osteophytes that may push tendons or bursa out of position or cause impingement of the soft tissues themselves. A single traumatic event, such as an impact to the shoulder from falling could push some connective tissue out of place leading to an impingement.
There is always small variations in skeletal structure between individuals. Some people are simply born with a narrower gap between the acromion head of the scapula and the head of the humerus. Placing them at increased risk of developing an impingement. Repetitive strain on the rotator cuff muscles can cause micro tears that destabilise the joint. The muscle imbalance can lead to the head of humerus being pulled up toward the acromion causing impingement.
Above: Impingement can affect you range of motion around the joint
What are the symptoms of shoulder impingement?
The symptoms of shoulder impingement will vary slightly depending on the tissues that are trapped and the severity of the damage accrued. The main symptoms of shoulder impingement include;
- Pain in shoulder when reaching and lifting, especially above head height.
- Swelling around shoulder joint, when compared to opposite shoulder.
- Pain or tenderness when side lying on affected shoulder.
- Increased stiffness, especially after periods of inactivity or sleeping.
- Muscle weakness when reaching or lifting.
- Pain becomes persistent, even at rest, as the condition progresses untreated.
Majority of pain from impingement is felt when arm is raised halfway up, in line with shoulder height. Pain eases off when arm fully raised of fully lowered.
How is shoulder impingement diagnosed?
A diagnosis of shoulder impingement can be made by a physiotherapist or doctor. Your physiotherapist or doctor will ask you detailed questions about your activities and conduct a thorough assessment to confirm a diagnosis.
Above: Impingement of the shoulder may be due to poor posture.
For more information on how physiotherapy can help treat a shoulder impingement, or to book yourself an appointment, please email
office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk
or ring us on
0151 558 0077
.
What would physiotherapy assessment for shoulder impingement involve?
If you book in for an appointment, the first session would be spent doing a comprehensive assessment before deciding on an appropriate treatment plan. Our physiotherapists at Liverpool Physio will divide this into two parts:
Subjective
A discussion between you and our physiotherapist to find out where in your shoulder the pain is, how long it has been there, what activities aggravate and ease your symptoms and how your injury is affecting you and your lifestyle.
Objective
An assessment of your pain, range of movement, muscle strength and a series of special tests to rule out other possible conditions.
What would physiotherapy treatment for shoulder impingement involve?
Our experienced physiotherapists at Liverpool Physio will use pain relief treatments to make you more comfortable before progressing to rehabilitation. During your assessment it will be established how the condition developed and a targeted rehabilitation programme will be used to address any weakness, instability or muscle imbalance. Your treatment for shoulder impingement could involve;
- Ice therapy, to reduce swelling and provide pain relief.
- Heat treatments, to increase circulation and tissue extensibility and pain relief.
- Mobility exercises, passive and active to maintain and improve joint range of movement.
- Gentle progressive muscle strengthening exercises, to improve joint stability and strength.
- Gentle stretch exercises to relieve stiffness and regain tissue flexibility.
- Functional exercises to retrain normal shoulder movement for daily tasks.
- Dexterity exercises to improve joint proprioception and dynamic stability.
- Advice of activity modification to prevent re-injury.
- Postural advice to reduce risk of injury re-occurrence.
Your physiotherapist will tailor your treatment sessions to achieve your recovery goals, weather it is a return to work or resuming sports participation. For more information about physiotherapy for shoulder impingement, or to book an appointment please call 0151 558 0077 .
How can I arrange a physiotherapy assessment for shoulder impingement?
If you are experiencing pain, aching, swelling or stiffness around your shoulder, and feel unable to continue with your normal daily activities, you would benefit from an assessment with one of our experienced physiotherapists at Liverpool Physio.
You can contact us directly to arrange an assessment and we can advise you if further treatment is recommended, or give you details on self-management for minor cases. To arrange an appointment please email office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or call 0151 558 007I.
Summary
Shoulder impingement can be very uncomfortable and in severe cases it can inhibit all functional use of the shoulder affected. Symptoms of pains, swelling and stiffness may grow worse over time if left untreated. The Physiotherapists at Liverpool Physio have the Knowledge and experience to help you achieve the best possible recovery in the shortest possible time. They will use pain relief techniques, mobilisations, strengthening exercises and functional activity exercises to safely return you to normal daily activities and sports.
For more information on how physiotherapy can help treat a shoulder impingement, or to book yourself an appointment, please email office@liverpoolphysio.co.uk or ring us on 0151 558 0077 .
↑ Back to top
