Shoulder pain

Shoulder injuries are often experienced as pain in your arm, not in the shoulder itself. The pains may be constant or only triggered by movement, and you will often be able to trigger the pain by lifting your arm or moving it a certain way. The pain may also be present at night and disturb your sleep.

Find the right program for you

Why does it hurt?

Shoulder pain can have many different causes, but the most common one is when a ligament has been strained. As time goes on, ligaments become weaker, and for a certain portion of people over the age of 60, the ligaments have been almost completely worn out. Other common causes of shoulder pain are:

  1. Acute injury: Your shoulder is damaged due to a sudden and overwhelming strain (e.g. falling and bracing with your shoulder).

  2. Excessive strain: Your shoulder is subjected to an unaccustomed strain over a longer period of time (e.g. painting a ceiling, or performing any other tasks that involve heavy use of the arm above shoulder height).

  3. Degeneration: Muscles and ligaments become weaker and stiffer with age, which naturally increases the risk of injury.

Pain and inflammation are the body’s way of telling you to ease the strain on your shoulder. Two things are critical in treating your pain:

  • Reduce the activities that led to your injury. Make sure the strain on your shoulder is lessened.

  • Perform exercises that stimulate your shoulder. They will help strengthen and return it to normal functionality.

How Injurymap treats your shoulder pain

Injurymap’s program for treating your shoulder pain consists of exercises that stimulate and help rehabilitate ligaments and muscles. The first exercises focus on light mobility, which will prepare you for the stability and strength exercises that will return your shoulder to normal functioning. Stretching exercises are also a part of the program, and they will help ensure your continued mobility and help you avoid future injuries.

Diagnoses

  • Rotator cuff syndrome / supraspinatus tendonitis
  • Subacromial impingement syndrome
  • Biceps tendonitis of the shoulder
  • Shoulder instability
  • Supraspinatus tendonitis
  • Impingement
  • Postero-superior impingement
  • Internal impingement
  • Acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis
  • Acromioclavicular distortion
  • Acromioclavicular pain

Exercises for Shoulder pain

  1. Shoulder pull
    5 reps

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    • Relax your shoulders by letting them fall down.
    • Retract your shoulders so that your shoulder blades are brought together.
    • Hold the position for 10 seconds and then return to the starting position.
    • Perform 5 repetitions.
  2. Standing infraspinatus exercise (medium resistance)
    10 reps x 3 sets

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    • Stand up.
    • Use a mediumresistance exercise band.
    • Keep your arm tight to the body and pull your shoulder slightly back.
    • Bend your elbow 90 degrees, and place the exercise band around your hand and hold it with the other hand.
    • Now turn the arm outwards so that the exercise band is tightened.
    • Perform 3 sets of 8 repetitions with each arm.
  3. Lattissimus dorsi stretch
    30 sec. x 3 sets

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    • Stand with your arms over your head.
    • Grab one of your elbows with the hand of the opposite arm.
    • Lift your arms and push the elbow backwards as far as possible, and slightly towards the other shoulder.
    • Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and perform 3 repetitions with each arm.

Treat your pain with Injurymap

Download the app to get a customized program that addresses your specific pain with exercises.