The shoulder is a very important joint in the human body. When a shoulder is out-of-alignment or injured, it has the potential to affect many aspects from the way you are able to perform exercises and daily tasks to your sleep and your overall quality of life.
Keep reading to find out more about what shoulder physiotherapy is, the way it works, and when you should be seeking treatment.
The Common Symptoms Of An Injured Or Weak Shoulder
You might not be aware of this, but the shoulders are one of the most vital parts of the body. They allow you to do several everyday activities from cooking, and cleaning, to working out at the gym.
If you have an injured or weak shoulder, there will be a few symptoms you should be looking for. These are the symptoms that indicate that you might need treatment which can involve shoulder physiotherapy. Some of the common symptoms relating to an injured or weak shoulder include:
- Swelling
- Pain
- Numbness
- Burning pain
- Tingling
- Weakness
- Changes in color or temperature
- Change in range of motion
- A sensation of the joint slipping out or in of the socket
What Is Shoulder Physiotherapy?
Shoulder physiotherapy involves a specialized type of therapy that is aimed at rehabilitating an injured or weak shoulder. A shoulder physiotherapist focuses on relieving the symptoms you may be experiencing through different therapeutic techniques such as joint mobilization, heat therapies, massage treatments, and more to help your shoulder to move more freely and better and to eliminate the discomfort and pain you are going through.
How Can Shoulder Physiotherapy Help An Injured Shoulder?
Shoulders are very complex joints and the structure allows you to move around freely while it supports a significant amount of weight. Shoulder physiotherapy can be used to help your shoulder if it has been injured, however, it is important to first establish what injury type you have before therapy commences since there are several different reasons why you might be experiencing restricted movement or pain.
What To Expect During A Shoulder Physiotherapy Visit
During your shoulder physiotherapy session, the therapist will ask you to slowly move and stretch the joint. They might explore why these movements are causing more pain or discomfort than usual or analyze which positions appear to be comfortable vs uncomfortable.
Physiotherapy can often provide significant relief from the discomfort and pain you are currently enduring. It can also free up movement to help you participate in many of the activities you have been missing out on.
Your therapist might also send you home with a few exercises to do that will work on strengthening the muscles that surround the shoulder. Shoulder physiotherapists also provide the best advice on ways to avoid the potential for a future injury and effective methods on how to recover faster when a past injury has already occurred in this area. As such, if you are suffering from acute or chronic shoulder pain, do not hesitate to book an appointment with a physiotherapist.
