Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain, weakness and stiffness usually trace back to the rotator cuff, impingement, frozen shoulder or instability, and many shoulder problems, including some rotator cuff tears, can be treated without surgery. Our Doctors of Physical Therapy treat shoulder pain at our clinics in Franklin, Brentwood and Nashville, Tennessee.
Common causes of shoulder pain
Rotator cuff tendinopathy and rotator cuff tendinitis
The rotator cuff is the group of small muscles that centers the ball in the socket. Overload, repetition or age can irritate its tendons and cause an ache with reaching and lifting.
Rotator cuff tear
A tear can follow a fall or build up slowly, and shows up as weakness and trouble lifting the arm. Not every rotator cuff tear needs surgery.
Shoulder impingement and shoulder bursitis
Shoulder impingement is pinching of the cuff tendons or the bursa under the bone of the shoulder, and shoulder bursitis is irritation of that bursa. Both often hurt on the way up when you raise your arm.
Frozen shoulder
Frozen shoulder, called adhesive capsulitis, stiffens the joint capsule so that lifting and rotating the arm both become limited.
Instability and labral tears
A dislocated shoulder or a labral tear, including a SLAP tear, can leave the joint feeling loose, catching or giving way.
Night pain, and a shoulder you cannot lift
These two patterns bring most people in, and we treat both.
- Shoulder pain at night, especially when you lie on that side
- Can’t lift my arm overhead without pain or weakness
- A catch or sharp pain halfway through reaching
- Pain that arrived with lifting, throwing, swimming or a golf swing
How we treat shoulder pain without making it a guessing game
We assess how the shoulder blade, upper back and neck are moving as well as the joint itself, because the sore spot is often where the problem shows up, not where it starts. Treatment then combines manual therapy and joint mobilization, rotator cuff strengthening, scapular stabilization to restore control of the shoulder blade, and progressive loading that builds the arm up for what you do.
Dry needling can release tight muscle around the shoulder, and Class IV laser may help ease discomfort so you can do the exercises. If you are a golfer, golf physical therapy looks at the follow-through; if you lift, the Return-to-Training Roadmap builds a graded way back to your training.
★★★★★
“Elevate615 has been amazing! In just 5 weeks I go from barely being able to lift my arm thinking surgery is inevitable, to playing golf with no pain! …”
When surgery makes sense, and shoulder pain that starts in the neck
Some shoulders do need surgery, such as a large tear or a shoulder that keeps dislocating. We tell you when we think that is the case and coordinate with your surgeon. Rehab before and after an operation is covered on post-surgical rehab, and shoulder pain from an injury in sport is covered on sports injury rehab.
Pain that starts in the neck can also be felt in the shoulder, so we check both. See neck pain if you also have a stiff neck or tingling in the arm. Shoulder pain from worn joints is on the Arthritis & Joint Pain page.
Shoulder pain care in Franklin, Brentwood and Nashville
Elevate615 treats shoulder pain at our Franklin clinic in Cool Springs, and we also see patients at our Brentwood and Nashville clinics.
You do not need a physician referral to start physical therapy at Elevate615: Tennessee allows direct access. If longer care later needs a physician involved, we coordinate with them.
Meet the people who treat you on our team page.