No surgery needed for shoulder pain

By Dr. Adam Cramer, PT, DPT; MyoFit Clinic

Of all the joints in your body, the shoulder joint has the greatest range of motion.

Because of its incredible mobility, it is more likely to be injured or sustain painful problems. And when it does become painful, it impacts almost everything you are trying to do.

Shoulders sustain sprains and strains, dislocations, tendinitis, torn rotator cuffs, bursitis, frozen shoulder, fractures, arthritis and a host of other injuries and conditions.

Because it is such a mobile joint, you can hurt it in falls, when you strain to try to reach something, when you lift something heavy, and even when you throw a ball or play a game. Sometimes it become injured and painful just from a gradual irritation or deterioration over time.

You do not need an X-ray or MRI to diagnose shoulder pain. Often when specialists rely on imaging for diagnosing, it can open up a can of worms because there are false positives. We all have abnormalities within our muscles and joints, but the “abnormal” structures found in X-rays and MRIs don’t necessarily correlate to the limited function at hand. Patients then have a higher likelihood of receiving an invasive procedure such as surgery, or injections, which, a majority of the time, are not needed for most shoulder pain patients. A trained Doctor of Physical Therapy will be able to diagnose specifically which structure is limiting the function by performing various tests to your muscles, ligaments, joints and tendons throughout the initial evaluation process, pinpointing the problem limiting the physical use of your shoulder and creating pain.

How MyoFit Can Help You Avoid Shoulder Surgery
Too often when twinges of pain erupt from the shoulder, busy people just pop a pain-killer and push on through their day. The next day hurts even more, so they take a few more pills and continue without seeking help or they seek out a surgeon who can only provide surgery as an option when they actually don’t want or even need surgery. Seeing a physician-owned therapy service will also limit your potential for success in avoiding surgery because these physical therapists only see postoperative patients and are not equipped to help you avoid surgery.

When you consult with a MyoFit Doctor of Physical Therapy for shoulder pain, you can expect to be evaluated so that he or she can determine the cause of your pain and then create an effective way to treat it the same day, providing education and training so you are well-equipped to manage and heal your pain by improving motion and strength.

Surgery is never offered because surgery doesn’t correct the problem that originally caused your pain. Faulty lifting mechanics, poor sleeping positions, overuse with reaching and lifting…those are the real problems and the only way to correct them is through improving your awareness, motion and strength.

Even after you have surgery, those faulty movement patterns are not addressed, and the same thing will happen again with a continued onset of shoulder pain. The goal for physical therapy after surgery is to restore motion and strength, because the surgeons literally cut all around your shoulder. It still never addresses the true problem of poor movement patterns that got your shoulder in the position that it is currently in.

Managing shoulder pain is not hard, you just have to learn how to do it. At MyoFit Clinic, that’s exactly what we do. We teach you everything we know so you can successfully and independently manage your symptoms without relying on anyone else. We don’t keep you misinformed like most healthcare entities, where they just want you to keep coming back for services.

We will use a combination of hands-on treatment to loosen the muscles and joints and combine it with dry needling, laser therapy, electrical stimulation, hot and cold treatments, and Kinesio taping. Add to that stretching and strengthening exercises, including gentle exercises and education on proper posture and movement to decrease the pain.

Some common shoulder problems we treat include rotator cuff tendonitis, impingement, bursitis, frozen shoulder, labrum tears, stroke recovery and shoulder fracture. Our group of physical therapists have a tremendous ability to enable you to lift your arm over your head again, behind your back, get dressed without pain and successfully avoid orthopedic surgery.

It takes time for your shoulder to heal. It is important that you move at the pace your physical therapist advises in order to avoid reinjury as you work to regain normalcy.

With each visit you will receive pain-relieving treatment to control pain and inflammation without pharmaceuticals. You will also be given a program of exercises to do at home between visits to continue to heal and strengthen your shoulder. You will be trained on how to manage your symptoms as soon as you feel them, so that you control your symptoms versus your symptoms controlling you.

In other words, your independent physical therapist can help you heal from your shoulder pain, avoid surgery, save you money and return you to your normal life. Just leaving your shoulder alone to heal won’t help you at all. And seeing a provider who offers surgery when you don’t want surgery will not help you avoid surgery. Think physical therapy first.

Dr. Adam M. Cramer is a licensed physical therapist, shoulder specialist and founder of MyoFit Clinic located in Chardon, Middlefield, and Ashtabula. Physical therapy, occupational therapy and preventative check-ups are covered by insurances, and the clinics accept Medicare, Medicaid and all commercial insurances. Visit MyoFitClinic.com to find out more. Call MyoFit Clinic at 440-286-1007 so you can successfully avoid orthopedic surgery.