Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain, weakness or stiffness often comes from the rotator cuff, impingement, frozen shoulder or an unstable joint. Many shoulder problems, including some rotator cuff tears, can be treated without surgery. Western Slope Rehab and Performance treats shoulder pain in Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, Appleton, Clifton and the Redlands, with hands-on care and strengthening.
Which shoulder problem do you have?
Your evaluation sorts these out, because they need different plans.
Rotator cuff tendinitis and tears
Pain on the outer shoulder and weakness lifting the arm.
- Rotator cuff tendinitis: irritated, overloaded tendons
- Rotator cuff tear: partial or full-thickness
Impingement and bursitis
Soft tissue gets pinched under the bony roof of the shoulder.
- Pinching when reaching overhead
- Shoulder bursitis: an inflamed cushion
Frozen shoulder
Adhesive capsulitis tightens the joint capsule.
- Gradual loss of motion
- Hard to reach behind you or overhead
Instability and labral tears
The joint slides more than it should.
- Dislocated shoulder or a feeling it might slip
- Labral or SLAP tears: catching, clicking
Shoulder pain at night and when you cannot lift your arm
Night pain, especially lying on the sore side, is one of the most common complaints, and trouble lifting the arm overhead is another. Both are clues, not a diagnosis. Your physical therapist tests the joint, cuff strength and shoulder blade motion to learn what is behind them.
If the pain is really coming from your neck, you may also feel it into the arm or with head movements. See Neck Pain for that.
How we rebuild a shoulder
Calm it down
Hands-on Manual Therapy and joint mobilization ease stiffness and soft tissue limits. Dry Needling may be added for tight muscle.
Restore motion
Gentle range-of-motion work, then active control of the shoulder blade.
Build strength
Rotator cuff and scapular stabilization exercises through Therapeutic Exercise. Blood flow restriction training can build strength with lighter loads when it fits.
Return to your life
Overhead work, lifting, climbing, swimming or throwing: we train what you do. For athletes, see Sports Injury Rehab.
When surgery makes sense
Surgery is considered for some large tears, repeated dislocations or when a well-run rehab trial has not worked. If you do need an operation, physical therapy before and after helps. See Post-Surgical Rehab for rehab after rotator cuff repair or shoulder replacement. Shoulder arthritis is covered on Arthritis & Joint Pain.
Get your arm back overhead
Patients visit us from Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, Appleton, Clifton and the Redlands. You can start physical therapy without a referral from a doctor in most cases. Some insurance plans, including Medicare, still need a doctor to sign the plan of care. Call (970) 314-9822 or see Direct Access.
We see patients from Grand Junction and the surrounding Grand Valley: Fruita, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, Appleton, Clifton and the Redlands.