Radical New Approach to Shoulder Pain From Overuse in Cedar Rapids

“Rest, ice, pain pills.”

We have all heard these recommendations, some of them were probably prescribed to you by a healthcare provider.  It started to get better and you returned to activity only to find that you are now in worse pain. Stretching and rehab exercises are doing little to nothing.  Let’s be honest.  If you have tried this approach for your pain, and you are still suffering, it’s not going anywhere.

Over half of all injuries, are due to overuse.  Overuse injuries like tennis elbow, swimmers shoulder, runners knee, carpal tunnel, plantar fasciitis, and shin splints are not caused from one single incident.  Overuse injuries occur after repetitive use and trauma to any area of the body. Micro-trauma to tendons, ligaments, and bone eventually begin to add up and cause pain. Unfortunately, overuse injuries are often misdiagnosed and treated.

Many providers will prescribe the above; rest, ice, and possibly NSAIDs.  This may actually be the worst thing for you and your pain.  Tendinitis is often the diagnosis with overuse injuries.  The diagnosis of “tendinitis” means inflammation or irritation of a tendon.  The problem is that overuse injuries are not inflammatory.  They are degenerative.  Allow me to explain.

With any repeated or sustained movement, there is a decrease in blood supply and oxygen to the area.  When dealing with muscles, ligaments, and nerves, this decrease in oxygen leads to scar tissue formation (adhesion).  In tendons, lack of oxygen leads to degeneration.  Scar tissue and degenerative tissues will gradually progress in nature leading to pain and weakness.  If left untreated, degenerative tissues could eventually tear and need surgical repair.

Although the research and understanding of overuse injuries is there, most traditional medical paradigms have not yet adapted.  These methods fail to recognize the pathology present.  So what are you supposed to do?

Treatment must focus on the breakdown of this scar tissue (adhesion) while also increasing blood flow to the degenerated area for repair.  Exercises should be implemented only after the patient begins to respond from therapy.  Implementing exercise too soon, may actually limit the response to care.  Proper treatment of overuse should aim to keep the patient as physically active as possible.  Only in cases where patients fail to respond to therapy should limitations be placed on patients.  This process may take several weeks to months, but is ultimately the best plan when dealing with overuse injuries.

If you are reading this right now chances are you are suffering from shoulder pain, or know someone who is.  Impingement, rotator cuff tendinitis, and bursitis are common overuse injuries in the shoulder.  If you have tried traditional medical treatment, and have received little to no benefit, it is time for a new approach.

In our office, we routinely see and solve overuse injuries in the shoulder, even after traditional medical and physical therapy approaches have failed.  Our approach focuses on the elimination of scar tissue and rehabilitation of degenerated tissues.  For more information about overuse injuries and shoulder pain treatment in Cedar Rapids, please call our office at 319-423-0925, or visit our website.