facebookShoulder Pain Exercise Physiology - Surry Hills | Central Performance

Exercise Physiology For Shoulder Injuries

The shoulder is one of the most common sites of injury that we see at Central Performance. Our team of exercise physiologists are experienced in effectively treating a wide variety of clients with shoulder injuries, from athletes to workplace and lifestyle injuries. Our exercise programs are individually tailored for you to ensure that you get your shoulder back to maximum strength and mobility, fully achieve your goals and minimise your risk of future shoulder pain.

Common shoulder injuries that our exercise physiologists treat include:

  • Rotator cuff and biceps tendinopathy
  • SLAP and labral lesions
  • Subacromial impingement syndrome
  • Thoracic outlet syndrome
  • Rehabilitation following surgery including shoulder reconstructions, cuff repairs and SLAP stabilisations

Steps For Exercise Physiology Management Of Shoulder Injuries

Your Initial Assessment

Your exercise physiology treatment starts with a comprehensive initial assessment of your shoulder and surrounding body parts. As well as range of motion tests, strength testing plus length and mobility screens, your assessment may also include internationally-recognised tests including the FMS or SFMA biomechanical screens. The focus is to identify movement faults that are causing your pain and find symptom-relieving exercises for painful shoulders to allow you to begin your rehabilitation program effectively. If you have already had physiotherapy treatment for your shoulder pain then your exercise physiology program will form a smooth progression on from your physio treatment.

As well as specifically assessing your injured shoulder, your
exercise physiologist will also screen for whole-body factors that may be contributing to your pain. This is especially important for the shoulder as it is a complex collection of several joints (the gleno-humeral, scapulo-thoracic, sterno-clavicular and acromio-clavicular joints) that is heavily influenced by surrounding body parts. For example, many recurrent shoulder pains are partially due to upper back (thoracic) stiffness which reduces the ability of the scapula (shoulder blade) to move, which in turn causes abnormal shoulder mechanics. A thorough functional movement assessment will highlight these underlying causative factors and allow an effective long-term solution to your pain.

Your Exercise Physiology Treatment Program

Your exercise physiologist will work with you to develop your treatment plan based on your diagnosis, physical assessment findings and your individual goals. Although every shoulder injury is unique, your treatment plan usually includes of 4 main stages:

  1. Restoring full range of movement and finding pain relieving exercises
  2. Specific local strengthening exercises
  3. Correction of whole-body biomechanical factors that are contributing to your pain
  4. Returning to activity, where you will be guided through exercises that replicate everyday activities or movements required in your sport

Your treatment will start with specific exercises to restore ranges of motion around the shoulder joint. As your andmovement and pain improves your treatment will progress to more challenging strengthening and mobility exercises. Next you will be guided through more functional whole-body exercises to correct any underlying biomechanical problems. Finally, you will be taken through sports or activity specific activities designed to replicate the demands of your sport e.g. throwing drills for cricket or baseball players, or specific strength work for swimmers. The goal of our exercise physiology treatment is for you to finish your exercise physiology program with a repertoire of exercises that will allow you to maintain strong, heathy, pain-free shoulders. We work hard to get you even stronger than you were before your injury, as this makes you more resilient and able to avoid shoulder pain in the future.

To Make An Appointment Please Use Our Online Booking System Or Call Us On 9280 2322

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