Physical Therapy Services
Shoulder Pain
Relief for shoulder pain and limited range of motion.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is a very common condition and affects almost half of the U.S. Most patients feel some sort of pain, limited range of motion, an inability to engage in activities of daily living (ADL) or something more serious as a permanent disability.
How This Works
What shoulder pain treatment involves
The shoulder trades stability for range — it moves further than any other joint in the body, and it depends on the rotator cuff and the muscles controlling the shoulder blade to keep it centred while it does. Shoulder pain, limited range of motion and difficulty with everyday activities usually trace back to that control, to the tendons that do the work, or to a joint that has stiffened.
Assessment therefore covers more than the joint itself: how far the shoulder moves actively and passively, rotator cuff strength, how the shoulder blade moves on the ribcage, and whether the neck is contributing. Treatment combines hands-on work to restore movement with a graded strengthening programme, because tendon and cuff problems respond to progressive loading rather than rest alone.
What to Expect
Your visits, step by step
Establishing the pattern
Your therapist works through which movements hurt, which are limited, and whether the limitation is in the joint itself or in how it is being controlled. The neck is screened too, since shoulder symptoms are sometimes referred from there.
Restoring movement
Hands-on treatment addresses a stiff joint capsule and the soft tissue around the shoulder blade and upper back, so the shoulder has somewhere to move from.
Graded strengthening
You are given rotator cuff and shoulder blade work that starts at a load you can control and is progressed deliberately. Range and load are advanced as the shoulder tolerates them.
Back to real tasks
Later stages are built around what you actually need — overhead reaching, lifting, carrying, sleeping on that side, or a specific sport or job demand.
Benefits
What shoulder pain treatment is used for
- Used to address shoulder pain and limited range of motion.
- Used to address difficulty with activities of daily living that depend on reaching, lifting or carrying.
- Applied to shoulder blade and upper back mechanics as well as the shoulder joint, since the two work together.
- Provides a conservative, graded loading approach for people who would prefer to try that route first.
Results of an injury vary from person to person. What is appropriate for you is decided at your evaluation — call (718) 714-6995 and we can talk it through.
Common Questions
Shoulder Pain FAQs
Why does my shoulder hurt most at night?
Night pain and difficulty lying on the affected side are common with shoulder problems. It is worth telling your therapist about, because it is useful information about how irritable the tissue is and it shapes how aggressively treatment is progressed.
Should I rest it until it settles?
Complete rest tends to cost range of motion and strength, which then has to be regained. What to keep doing, what to modify and what to leave alone for now is worked out individually at your evaluation.
Does treatment hurt?
Working into a stiff shoulder can be uncomfortable, and strengthening a sensitive tendon may produce some soreness. It should stay within a level you can tolerate — tell your therapist how it responded afterwards so the load can be adjusted.
What should I wear?
Something that lets your therapist see and access the shoulder and shoulder blade — a vest, or a loose t-shirt you can move freely in.
Explore More