This was an actual quote from a patient earlier this week…
“This shoulder pain is “impinging” on my lifestyle!”
He’d been diagnosed with “shoulder impingement” and was having a little fun with the term 🙂
If you’re ever had pain in your shoulders when you try to raise your arms overhead, pull off a sweatshirt, grab a gallon of milk from the fridge, or place grocery bags on the counter – you were likely dealing with shoulder “impingement syndrome” – otherwise known as “rotator cuff impingement” or “rotator cuff tendonitis”.
They call it “impingement” because your rotator cuff tendon gets pinched between the round head of your shoulder bone and a hook-shaped bone in your shoulder blade called the acromion every time you raise your arm above ninety degrees. After a while, the pinching eventually irritates your tendon, resulting in pain and inflammation. These symptoms are exacerbated and pronounced with any arm movements overhead.
Most of the time, the root cause of this problem has been there for a long time, but it’s only just now manifesting itself as pain… and this so-called “impingement syndrome”.
So what causes your rotator cuff tendon to get pinched or impinged in the first place?
Most of the time – POSTURE.
If your neck and upper back are stiff, curved, and lack adequate mobility – it’s going to impact how your shoulder blades move and are positioned. With a stiff and curved neck/upper back, your shoulder blades will often be more elevated and rounded – causing that hook-like bone (the acromion) to sit more forward and down than it should. When this happens, there isn’t enough room for your tendon when you lift your arms above shoulder height. The bony surfaces above and below your tendon create friction and this eventually turns into pain and inflammation.
This is the exact scenario that was happening with my client.
His “rotator cuff tendonitis” and “shoulder impingement” actually had nothing to do with his shoulder – and everything to do with his neck and upper back.
The tempting and easy “fix” is to get a cortisone shot directly to the tendon to address the inflammation. But what you need to understand is that “impingement syndrome” – in most cases – is actually the SYMPTOM. The root cause is most often coming from immobility and poor movement patterns in your upper back or neck.
If you really want to get rid of your shoulder pain, get back to lifting and carrying things without any worry, have full and free mobility of your arms – and most importantly – stay OUT of the doctor’s office. It’s essential that you identify and address the root cause or your shoulder pain, not just the symptoms.
Since there is an 80% chance your shoulder pain is a mechanical or movement problem – the best people to examine and address this FIRST are movement experts like us.
The very last thing you want to do is get some kind of procedure or surgery that either masks the pain or corrects the wrong problem – or worse – compromises the integrity of your tendon for no good reason. Both cortisone shots and surgery will do that.
So moral of the story – next time you go to the doctor complaining of shoulder pain – and you hear the words “impingement syndrome” or “rotator cuff tendonitis” – don’t just assume you need a cortisone shot or surgery to fix it – even if that’s what they tell you.
Neither of these solutions will give you the long-term solution you’re looking for.
Consider coming in and talking to a specialist at my clinic, instead.
We’ll help you find a natural and movement-based solution to your problem so that you don’t have to rely on pain pills, never have to consider cortisone shots or surgery, and can spend time doing the things you love instead of hanging out in the doctor’s office.
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Trupti graduated with a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from UNC- Chapel Hill in 2001. She has furthered her studies with numerous post-graduate courses focusing on the Neck, shoulder, knee, and back, with a strong emphasis in manual therapy. Recently completed courses in Maitland-Australian Physiotherapy Seminars (Levels 1- 5), has afforded her an excellent way to relieve pain and help people get moving, active and healthy quickly and effectively.
With 20+ years of experience in Physical Therapy, Trupti has practiced in various orthopedic and sports focused clinical settings, in both the Raleigh-Durham, NC and DC regions. She has been Director of multiple Physical therapy Clinics in DC and also worked with some renowned specialists at Georgetown University Hospital in DC. During her years of service, Trupti has had the privilege of caring for a wide variety of clients: from school-aged children to retirees; from homemakers to business professionals; from weekend warriors to professional athletes.
Trupti is an avid fan of the outdoors, art, traveling and of course the Tar Heels. She enjoys spending time with her niece and nephew.
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