Shoulder Impingement

Shoulder Impingement occurs when the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles get pinched in the subacromial space. This condition is also commonly called Swimmer’s Shoulder.

This condition occurs from repetitive overhead activities such as baseball, softball, swimming, football, tennis, work, etc.

– Poor posture.

– Shoulder Weakness.

– Sudden increase in overhead activities.

– Pain during overhead motions, reaching out to the side, or reaching up your back.

– Shoulder weakness with overhead activities.

– Popping or clicking with overhead motions.

At Home Diagnostic Tests

– Empty Can (video).

– Hawkins-Kennedy / Sniff Elbow Test (video).

 

At Home Care

– Modifying/decreasing overhead movements.

– Icing for 20 mins.

– Dynamic warmup before activities.

– Stretching.

– NSAID use as needed.

 

When to Seek Help

Contact your physical therapist if the pain continues or worsens after 1 week, or if any of the above tests reproduce symptoms.

Inspired Athletx Treatment

Impingement is a space issue that begins a vicious cycle of inflammation, further reducing the available space for your tendons to move.  In order to create more space, your physical therapist will use manual therapy to reduce inflammation and improve posture.  If the underlying posture and mobility issues go untreated, impingement is likely to reoccur.  In order to avoid this, your physical therapist will use manual therapy and corrective exercises to improve your shoulder and upper back mobility, strengthen your scapular stabilizers and rotator cuff, and improve your sport specific mechanics (pitching, swimming, etc).  Chronic impingement can contribute to rotator cuff degeneration or tearing.
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