Need help getting dressed in the morning and you're only 41yrs old?
| Published: 19th June 2008 20:11 |
Dreaded shoulder pain!
It started as a niggle then before you knew it, you can barely slip your shirt on in the morning without excruciating pain.
The worst thing is you can't remember injuring it!
While some athletes remember a definite "tear", most shoulder tendonitis can come on "for no reason".
In these cases it is often related to desk work- bad position at your computer, gardening or poor technique playing tennis, golf or swimming.
Why do the shoulder tendons get injured?
The shoulder is a ball and socket joint that is held together by the rotator cuff muscles. These are a group of muscles that must work in fine balance to keep the ball and socket joint in alignment.
If we over develop certain parts of the rotator cuff, the balance is disrupted and this combined with poor posture leaves the tendon prone to inflammation, micro tears and possible rupture.
How do I prevent shoulder tendonitis?
1) Make sure your posture- especially at your computer-is good. Poor posture with slumped shoulders will cause shoulder pain and give you a high risk of tendonitis.
2) If you are active-sport or gardening- it is important to stretch your shoulders before and after to make sure your shoulders maintain full range of motion.
3) If you train your upper body make sure you don't just train the chest muscles. Strengthen the upper back and posterior shoulders to balance the strong muscles at the front.
But what if I already have shoulder pain?
You may have some minor tears in your rotator cuff, you may have inflammation or you may have a rupture.
Deep tissue massage may help speed up the healing process.
A good physiotherapist or trainer will be able to assess whether your shoulder is tight or weak and give you a programme to address the balance.
In severe cases it may be necessary to see a sports doctor for either a cortisone injection or to discuss surgical options if there is a rupture.
If you have any injury that has not resolved by itself in 3-4 weeks, get some professional advice as chronic problems become more difficult to treat.
Contact
Anne-Marie Samuel
Senior Physiotherapist
Body in Motion
http://www.bodyinmotion.co.uk/
01202 720 300
