by Tony Eggiman, PT, DPT

Shoulder pain is a common diagnosis treated by physical therapists. This can be attributed to the fact that the shoulder is a complex joint that withstands a high volume of use. In the shoulder joint, the arm bone forms a ball while the shoulder blade forms a socket. The socket is very shallow and does not completely wrap around the ball (similar to the way a volleyball would fit in the palm of your hand). This loose boney fit has an advantage of allowing a lot of motion which is important for reaching and working overhead. However, it also has the disadvantage of putting more strain on the muscles and ligaments surrounding the shoulder.

The rotator cuff muscles are the most common muscles that are injured in the shoulder. Their job is to assist the shoulder joint by stabilizing the arm bone within the socket. Common injuries include pinching the rotator cuff tendons in the shoulder joint and tearing of the tendons. There are exercises that assist in preventing these types of injuries.

Many people have an imbalance of the muscles in front and back of their shoulders. In order to prevent this, it is often appropriate to stretch the pectoral muscles in your chest and strengthen your upper back muscles. This allows better alignment between the upper arm and shoulder blade bones. When in good alignment, it is less likely that you will pinch the rotator cuff when raising your arm overhead.

For further questions call Orthopedic Sports and Physical Therapy at 1-218-641-7725.