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Stop It Before It Starts: Simple Tips to Prevent Shoulder Pain

Stop It Before It Starts: Simple Tips to Prevent Shoulder Pain

If you’ve ever suffered a shoulder injury, then you know how debilitating it can be. Not only are you experiencing persistent pain, but most shoulder injuries also restrict the range of motion in the joint, making day-to-day tasks — from grabbing a cup off the high shelf to brushing your hair — feel nearly impossible.

At PerformaX Elite, our team of physical therapists will work with you to identify and resolve the underlying causes of your shoulder pain. We offer acute pain relief and can guide you through complete shoulder rehabilitation regardless of whether or not you require surgery — and often, you can resolve a shoulder injury with physical therapy alone!

But that process can take a while, and we want to help you avoid shoulder injuries, too. While we do incorporate injury prevention information into our rehab programs, it’s never a bad time to start incorporating small changes into your routine that can help prevent shoulder pain.

If you’d like to learn more about how we help prevent and alleviate shoulder pain, call us to schedule an appointment today!

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Our Patients Get Great Results

“I just wrapped up my physical therapy at PerformaX, and it was an outstanding experience. Carina’s amazing guidance provided the direction I needed to get the pain in my ankle to stop. Alex’s follow-up on my exercises was incredibly helpful in guiding me towards my goals. This was a very positive experience. Thanks for all your help! I will absolutely recommend PerformaX to my friends and family. Thank you!!” – D.S.

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What Is InBody Testing?

No Estimations. Exact Results.​

  1. Only impedance is used to determine your body composition results; no statistical data or empirical equations are used or required to predict your body composition.​
  2. Measure your fat, muscle, and water levels in less than a minute. No dunking. No pinching. No discomfort. Simply stand on the device and hold the hand electrodes to test.
  3. Non-invasive and pain-free testing

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis​

Safe, low-level currents are sent through the body through the hand and foot electrodes. The impedance the currents encounter are measured, and from there, your body composition is derived. With InBody’s patented technology, BIA has never been more highly correlated with gold standard methods until now.
Each InBody Test will print out a full-page results sheet detailing the muscle, fat, and water values of the user. The InBody scan provides you with lean mass and fat values in each segment of the body to give you a proper assessment of body composition.

Segmental Fat And Lean Mass Analysis

Identify how many pounds of lean mass and fat are in each body segment. This can be utilized to determine how specific diets and exercises are affecting the body composition.

Injury Identification

You can identify and track inflammation, swelling, and even injuries with ECW/TBW Analysis while monitoring how this ratio changes over time under the Body Composition History chart. Call us today to schedule your assessment!

What Causes Shoulder Pain and Injury, Anyway?

Your shoulder is an incredibly complex ball-and-socket joint with several moving parts, including:

  • Three separate bones: the humerus (arm bone), scapula (shoulder blade), and clavicle (collarbone)
  • Cartilage that wraps and protects these bones from rubbing against each other
  • Three main ligaments that connect your shoulder’s bones
  • A collection of muscles and tendons known as the rotator cuff that wrap and support the shoulder joint
  • Bursae: small fluid-filled sacs that protect your tendons

Damaging any of these structures can lead to shoulder pain, weakness, and immobility. Some people injure their shoulders through sudden, acute injuries, especially if they’re active — a hard fall on the football field could tear your rotator cuff or dislocate the arm bone out of your shoulder socket.

However, many shoulder injuries are actually overuse injuries, meaning the pain and immobility symptoms occur due to repeated micro-injuries in your shoulder’s tissue. Often, sports-related shoulder injuries are actually due to overuse, as repeated overhead motions (such as throwing a ball or certain swimming strokes) put stress on the shoulder joint, leading to symptoms.

Using improper form can also contribute to overuse injuries, as can having improper posture — a weak upper back strains your shoulder muscles, making them do more work than needed. 

Preventing shoulder pain is really about preventing these overuse injuries. By making small changes, you can keep your shoulders strong, healthy, and pain-free!

Ergonomic Tips for Good Shoulder Health

Ergonomics is a field of study focused on optimizing the environments in which people work, ensuring a safe, happy, and productive workplace.

Whether you work in an office or at a construction site, your job might contribute to your shoulder pain. Simple ergonomic adjustments can help minimize your risk of a shoulder injury.

If You Have an Office Job…

  • Adjust the height of your desk and chair to ensure your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle.
  • Make sure your mouse is close enough to your keyboard that you don’t overreach to use it.
  • Adjust your monitor so the top is at or slightly below eye level.
  • Take frequent breaks throughout the day to get up, move around, and stretch.

If You Have a Manual Job…

  • Avoid bending your torso to pick up items (even if they aren’t heavy). Instead, use positioning devices (like a forklift) to bring the items right in front of you.
  • Avoid repeatedly lifting items above your head whenever possible, and remember to keep what you’re lifting close to your body.
  • Take regular breaks, especially if you’re performing repetitive movements.
  • Always warm up before starting your day!

Call PerformaX Elite for Customized Tips

Want more personalized ergonomic advice from our team of physical therapists? Call to schedule an appointment today!

5 Ways You Can Help Prevent Shoulder Pain

  1. Strengthen your upper body: Strong upper back and shoulder muscles are better able to provide the shoulder joint with the support and stability it needs, meaning you’ll be less likely to suffer an injury. Not sure how to get started? Our PTs can walk you through some appropriate exercises.
  2. Keep your mobility: We can show you simple range of motion exercises that will get the blood flowing to your joints, keeping them healthy. Reaching overhead, across your body, or behind your back are all basic stretches that can do wonders — just make sure you never force a movement! 
  3. Don’t forget to warm up first: Many popular recreational activities put you at risk for a shoulder injury, including swimming, pickleball, and tennis. It’s crucial that you warm up your shoulder before you dive in. Try some quick cardio paired with active shoulder stretches (like arm circles).
  4. Maintain proper posture: Proper posture isn’t about standing up straight all the time; it’s about maintaining postural awareness and keeping your spine in alignment no matter what you’re doing. And if you have a sedentary job, move around regularly. Both habits will help keep your upper back and shoulder strong.
  5. Pay attention to ergonomics: If your workspace isn’t shoulder-friendly, you might wind up with an overuse injury. Simple changes — like adjusting the height of your computer monitor or maintaining good posture when using hand tools — will reduce repetitive stress and lower your chances of developing shoulder pain.

Need A Little Help? We’ve Got You

The PerformaX Elite physical therapists can help you prevent shoulder injuries as easily as we can treat them! Whether you’re looking for a shoulder stretch and strengthen routine, postural corrections, or some simple ergonomic adjustments, we’re here for you. Call us today to get started!

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Refer A Friend & Get A $25 Gift Card!

Do you know someone who could benefit from physical therapy? Tell them about PerformaX and if they become a patient, we’ll send you a $25 Visa Gift Card! It pays to refer friends and family to PerformaX!

What is the TPI Golf Assessment?

Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) has created a golf assessment to screen for physical mobility or stability deficiencies that may negatively impact your game. Identifying key areas of weakness or inflexibility “timely” enough, will give us time to provide you with a program to correct the defaults, improve your game and prevent the injuries that result from these imbalances and compensations.

What Happens During a PMX® TPI Assessment?

The Assessment will take up to an hour. Following a brief health screening, we’ll begin the physical test. Come dressed comfortably and ready to participate. You will be led through a series of fitness movements that are key components of the golf swing. We’ll go over your results with you to assure that you have an understanding of how your findings might be impacting your golf performance.

Is it Right for Me?

A PMX TPI Assessment is not just for those who have been previously injured or know that they have a physical limitation. To schedule an appointment in the PMX Golf studio with one of our pros, call us today.

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Sausage Gnocchi Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground sausage
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • ¾ cup carrots, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 16 oz. potato gnocchi, in pasta aisle
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 3 cups packed baby spinach
 

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook and crumble to break it apart. Stir occasionally until cooked through, 7-10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  2. Add the wine and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the brown bits from the bottom/sides of the pot, this will add more flavor to the soup. Bubble gently and reduce by half, about 4 minutes.
  3. Add the butter, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Add the soy sauce, hot sauce, and seasonings and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add the chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously. Add the heavy cream in the same manner. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  6. Add the sausage back along with the gnocchi and simmer for about 5 minutes, refer to package instructions for exact cooking time.
  7. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, stirring continuously. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and serve!
 
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