Shoulder Pain Specialist

Harvard Sports Medicine:

Dr. Verma and Dr. Lohr attended Harvard in 2019 to expand their knowledge about Sports Medicine.  At Harvard Sports Medicine a number of causes and treatment approaches for shoulder pain were discussed.  Baseball players are highly susceptible to shoulder injuries because of constantly throwing the ball causes extensive wear and tear on the joint.

Rotator cuff tears are the most common injuries that occur in the shoulder.  Rotator cuff injuries can cause weakness, stiffness and pain in the shoulder.  Rotator cuff injuries cause happen because of chronic overuse, repetitive microtrauma, progressive degeneration, and direct blows to the shoulder.  Most frequently patients experience a partial thickness tear which is best treated conservatively with therapy, medications and injections.  

Rotator cuff strain is a common sports injury. Actions that put excessive strain on the shoulders, like weightlifting, can cause acute strains. Repetitive strain on the shoulder joint, for example frequently pitching a baseball, can cause tiny tears that accumulate over time and result in rotator cuff strain.

At Harvard Sports Medicine key goals to address Rotator cuff injuries were discussed that are the focus of treatment at Integrative Pain Institute.

1 .Minimize immobilization
2. Scapular stabilization/neuromuscular recruitment
3. Progressive strengthening
4. Improve posture 

Shoulder pain is often due to injury of the joint or the muscles and connective tissues around the joint. Sports injuries, falls, and other types of accidents cause acute and often severe pain.

Other common causes of shoulder pain are degenerative problems like frozen shoulder and subacromial bursitis, or repetitive strain and overuse injuries. These conditions develop over time, starting with an ache or persistent, mild pain that doesn’t get better and often gets worse.

It’s also possible for acute injuries to turn into chronic pain problems if the original tissue or joint damage doesn’t heal properly.

What conditions can lead to shoulder pain?

There are numerous conditions that might be causing your shoulder pain, including: 

• Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
• Pulled muscles
• Rotator cuff strain 
• Tendonitis and bursitis
• Torn cartilage
• Cervical radiculopathy 
• Tendon rupture

Playing sports year round is a major risk factor for developing tendinopathy that can occur in various phases

1. Initial pain and inflammation
2. Chronic pain and thickened tendon
3. Partial and Full Thickness Tendon Tears 
4. Chronic fibrosis and calcifications of the tendon

The healthcare team at Integrative Pain Institute is focused on treating pain and injuries with the goal of alleviating pain, restoring function and achieving optimal health.

Dislocation is where the top of your upper arm bone (humerus) comes away from the socket in your scapula (glenoid). This can often cause tearing of the rotator cuff, a complex network of connective tissue and muscle that helps hold your shoulder in place.  Dislocating your shoulder once makes it more likely to happen again. Frequent dislocations can lead to shoulder instability, where your shoulder joint is too loose.

Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) often occurs when you’ve had an injury that’s forced you to keep your arm immobile for a long time. Frozen Shoulder is most often experienced by patients as they get older as arthritis and degeneration causes the shoulder joint to stop moving.  They key to treating frozen shoulder is to eliminate the pain so that physical therapy can be performed to regain as much range of motion and strength as possible.  

What treatments are there for shoulder pain?

The first stage in successfully treating your shoulder pain is to find the cause. The team at Integrative Pain Institute can diagnose the cause of your shoulder pain using their considerable experience and expertise, coupled with state-of-the-art diagnostic technologies.

Once they’ve found the cause of your shoulder pain, your provider can develop a treatment plan to address the problem. Treatments in your plan could include:

• Physical therapy
• Medical management
• Laser therapy
• Massage and soft-tissue therapy
• Ultrasound therapy
• Heat and cold therapy
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections
• Steroid injections into the joint

Your frozen shoulder treatment plan could, for example, consist of physical therapy to recover mobility, with anti-inflammatory medication and steroid injections to ease the pain and inflammation. 

It’s also important to address any behaviors that could be causing or contributing to your shoulder pain, such as:

• Poor posture
• Overuse
• Incorrect lifting techniques
• Repetitive movements

If you have shoulder pain, let the experts at Integrative Pain Institute find the cause and the best therapies. Call today to schedule a consultation or book an appointment online.