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ALTA: Experience the Best in Physical Therapy & Pilates
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Greetings!
Shoulder Pain
 Being tough has drawbacks, especially when it comes to shoulder pain. Having the grit to put up with a nagging ache deep in the shoulder may sound admirable, but it is just the wrong approach. Failure to address the reason for the ache almost always leads to more trouble.
The rotator cuff is very often the origin of shoulder pain. The rotator cuff is a network of 4 muscles and their tendons that help to lift and rotate the arm and stabilize the ball of the shoulder within the socket. Poor posture, improper body mechanics and weakness can lead to impingement of these tendons between two bones.
Let's say you go out to throw a football and come back a little sore. The initial pain is accompanied by swelling in the tendons, making the fit between the bones even tighter and the tendons easier to pinch the next time you throw. The feedback loop is in place. You can try ointments, creams, ice and rest. The pain may resolve, but the cycle of tissue damage is in place, just waiting for the next time you try to play golf, or tennis, or, heaven forbid, to paint your bedroom ceiling. Sleeping on your shoulder will also likely wake you up with pain. What has happened?
When tendons get pinched (or impinged), they develop micro tears. Continuing to use of the shoulder without changing how you do things will result in even larger tears and can cause excess bone growth, or spurs. Eventually the tendons are frayed and with any bone spurs, it is virtually impossible for the tendons to slide between bones unimpeded. You do not want to go down this path.
The easiest way to prevent and/or heal irritated rotator cuff tendons is to correct faulty head/neck/ shoulder posture and strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.
View the dramatic relationship between posture and shoulder function in the video below. Learn how to assess and correct your posture in the second video. Start recovering with a few simple changes. Then, doing strengthening exercises will help instead of aggravate your already unhappy tissues.
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