Tag Archives: shoulder pain

True or False: Changes in the Weather Can Make Your Joints Stiff or Achy

For many people, the flare-up of an arthritic knee or shoulder appears to signal a change in the weather—usually hinting that a storm is imminent.

The belief that achy joints accompany a weather change is so widespread, in fact, that it has just about been accepted as reality. Many doctors listen to patients complain that they experience stiff or aching joints before, during, or after changes in temperature, barometric pressure, or humidity.

Yet, in spite of the widespread belief in a connection between aches and pains and inclement weather, medical researchers have come up with little evidence to support it.

Evidence for the Health Claim
Changes in the weather such as barometric pressure, humidity, and temperature could theoretically affect the synovial fluid that lines and lubricates the joints if, for example, they had a chemical effect on the fluid which somehow increased inflammation (which causes pain). However, there is no conclusive evidence that supports this theory.

Since at least the mid-1800s, a number of medical, and so-called bio-meteorologic research studies have been carried out in an effort to establish a connection between health and changing weather conditions.

The results of these studies have been varied. Based primarily on a compilation of patient anecdotes (reports of arthritis sufferers, for instance), increased barometric pressure (in fair weather conditions) has been associated with increased joint pain. Conversely, others studies have shown a relationship between increased joint pain and decreased barometric pressure (in stormier weather). Still other studies have suggested that changing weather conditions can cause immediate pain in some patients and delayed pain in others.

weather changes

Evidence Against the Health Claim

It is important to note that because most studies on this subject have been based on anecdotal reports rather than carefully designed observational studies, their conclusions don’t constitute reliable scientific evidence. Furthermore, many doctors claim that the wide variety of arthritic conditions and sheer complexity of atmospheric variability makes coming up with meaningful connections between joint pain and weather conditions next to impossible.

There is also a psychological aspect to this belief. What are the chances that the connection between health and the weather is simply coincidental? Is it possible that arthritis sufferers link their stiff and achy joints to changes in the weather as a way of explaining an otherwise mysterious exacerbation of their condition? Some doctors suggest that patients who observe weather conditions when they experience pain may pay little or no attention to the weather when they don’t have any pain.

Furthermore, there is no definitive evidence that moving to a warmer or drier climate provides a cure for aching joints. Some doctors report that many patients claim that the pain disappears for a while, only to return a few months later.

by Rhianon Davies

REFERENCES:
Aches and Pains Index. UK Weather Channel Interactive Web site. Available at http://uk.weather.com/activities/health/achesandpains/achesandpainsindex.html. Accessed July 25, 2006.

Cold Weather Can Cause More Aches and Pains for Arthritis Sufferers. Marshall University Orthopaedics Web site. Available at http://musom.marshall.edu/medctr/orthopaedics/cold weather.asp. Accessed July 25, 2006

Shmerling RH. Whether Weather Matters For Arthritis. Available at http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/8799/9273/35323/341624.html?d=dmtHMSContent. Accessed July 25, 2006.

Weather and Joint Pain. Any Connection? Mayo Clinic Web site. Available at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/joint-pain/AN00102. Accessed July 25, 2006.

Weather and Our Physical Health. BBC News Web site. Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/weatherwise/living/effects/. Accessed July 25, 2006.

EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.

When Is the Time Right for Physical Therapy?

physical therapy

Often, we end up in physical therapy based on the referral of our physician after dealing with and injury for a certain period of time. However, physical therapy can be used for many different ailments and can actually help cut down the time off work, off of sports and promote healing much faster.

Physical therapy can be used for many of your minor and major injuries. Following surgeries or traumas (accidents, dislocations, fractures, sprains) it can cause a considerable reduction in swelling and allow things to heal 75-80% faster than if without therapy. It has been shown that following surgery, the quicker someone goes for therapy, the less likely they are to stiffen up or have complications due to loss of range of motion. It also helps to significantly reduce pain and swelling.

Physical therapy is not only used following surgeries or sports injuries, but can be extremely helpful in preventing symptoms from getting worse and developing into more problems. If you’ve been having pain in your shoulder for 3 months or so, your body now has altered the way it moves your shoulder and in turn, you have developed some compensation patterns which could cause things to develop into other areas, such as your neck from your altered movements. This then, can lead to more significant problems which could have been easily avoided if therapy had been started and symptoms had gotten under control.

Remember, the quicker you get into therapy following an injury or persistent pain, the quicker your response time will be to therapy. If you are having some issues, talk to your physician about starting therapy. You don’t have to wait until it has a complete impact on your life or your recreational activities. Stop pain in your life and feel better by visiting one of our PT & Me physical therapists today.

PT News for July 2017: PTandMe

This July in PT News… Featuring articles from PTandMe partnering physical therapy clinics!

1. Hands-On Physical Therapy Effective for Common Shoulder Conditions
Written by the Physical Therapy Team at Rehab Associates of Central Virginia
click here for more information about this great group of clinics

Shoulder problems are one of the more common issues that affect the musculoskeletal system, as its prevalence in the general population has been reported as high as 4.8%. The most common shoulder condition that causes pain is shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) Read more

 

2. Is Dry Needling Right for You?
Written by the Physical Therapy Team at ARC Physical Therapy Plus in Shawnee, KS
click here for more information about this great group of clinics with locations in Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa

Dry needling is growing in popularity; learn the basics, and if it’s right for you from ARC Physical Therapy Plus physical therapist Diana Dickey. Read more

 

3. Winning the Battle Against Arthritis
Written by the Physical Therapy Team at STAR Physical Therapy
click here for more information about this great group of clinics with over 60 locations throughout TN.

Osteoarthritis is a slow progressive breakdown of joint structures that can significantly impact mobility, function, and independence. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammatory joint symptoms. Physical therapy for both OA and RA are to regain/maintain range of motion, reduce pain and improve function. Read more

Guidelines to Prevent Throwing Injuries

GuidelinesPreventThrowingInjuries#3_FBsize

In this third intallment of our series to prevent throwing injuries, we examine the proper ways to exercise and prevent throwing injuries in baseball. If you have any sudden significant increase in pain, swelling, or discoloration while performing or following exercise, discontinue immediately and contact your primary care provider.


INTERNAL ROTATION WITH SHOULDER AT 90 DEGREES OF ABDUCTION
Attach band high up on a doorway and face away from door. Hold band and move your arm out sideways away from your body until your arm is parallel with the ground. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees and point your fist toward the ceiling. Rotate from your shoulder bringing your hand forward while keeping your arm parallel to the floor and your elbow bent to 90 degrees.


EXTERNAL ROTATION WITH SHOULDER AT 90 DEGREES OF ABDUCTION
Attach band high on a doorway and face toward the door. Hold band and move your arm out sideways away from your body until your arm is parallel with the ground. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees and point your fist toward the door. Rotate from your shoulder bringing your hand away from the door while keeping your arm parallel to the floor and your elbow bent to 90 degrees.


SHOULDER INTERNAL ROTATION AT SIDE
Attach band to the doorway at chest height. Stand perpendicular to the doorway with the arm you are exercising closest to the door. Keep your arm at your side with a towel roll under the arm and bend the elbow to 90 degrees. Bring your hand toward your stomach while keeping the elbow bent to 90 degrees.


SHOULDER EXTERNAL ROTATION AT SIDE
Attach band to the doorway at chest height. Stand perpendicular to the doorway with the arm you are exercising furthest from the door. Keep your arm at your side with a towel roll under the arm and bend the elbow to 90 degrees. Bring your hand away from your stomach while keeping the elbow bent to 90 degrees.

This information was written by Advance Rehabilitation Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy group with 24 locations in Georgia and Florida. Advance Rehabilitation is a physical therapy practice that focuses on providing the highest quality rehabilitation services. We specialize in physical therapy, sports medicine, industrial rehabilitation and athletic training. Our staff includes highly-trained professionals that serve as a bridge between injury and recovery to help patients get back to pre-injury status as quickly as possible. For more information click here.

See the entire Guidelines to Prevent Throwing Injuries series here:

   Prevent Throwing Injuries

   prevent throwing injuries

throwing injuries PTandMe

Seeing a Physical Therapist After an Accident

SeeingaPTafterAccident_FBsize

Anyone who has been involved in an accident and is now struggling to cope with a resulting injury should seriously consider visiting a physical therapist. The documented benefits of physical therapy are numerous, and in many cases physical therapists are able to greatly improve their patients’ quality of life. Whether you are mildly hurt or are suffering from a long-term debilitating injury, read on to learn what physical therapy is, which types of accident injuries physical therapists commonly work with, and about the numerous benefits of physical therapy

What is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy is a type of rehabilitation aimed at bringing injured patients back up to their optimal level of health via various treatments and exercises. Physical therapists create patient specific plans designed to enable the patient to perform their daily tasks at the highest possible level of function. While a physical therapist will set different goals for different patients, common goals of therapy include:

  • Improving physical function and movement
  • Decreasing/managing the patient’s pain
  • Preventing re-injury
  • Increasing the patient’s strength, endurance, range of motion and flexibility

Wondering how physical therapy helps achieve these goals? While different therapists may approach these goals in slightly different ways, physical therapy programs rely mostly on progressive exercises and manual therapy in order to reach a patient’s goals. For example, a therapist will generally start you out with simple stretches and gradually work towards more challenging exercises tailored to suit your injury, limitations, and recovery goals. Additionally, manual therapy, such as soft tissue mobilization and joint mobilization, can help decrease a patient’s pain, reduce swelling, and restore motion.

Accident Injuries that Physical Therapists Commonly Work With

While physical therapists are well equipped to assist patients with minor as well as serious injuries, many people who visit a physical therapist in Houston do so because of a long-term debilitating injury that they suffered as a result of a boat, truck, or car accident. For example, physical therapists commonly work with patients who have been involved in an accident and are suffering from:

  • Back and neck pain
  • Arm and shoulder pain
  • Leg and knee pain
  • Foot and ankle injuries
  • Hand injuries
  • Decreased range of motion

car accident

The Benefits of Physical Therapy

Individuals who are injured in an accident often find that attending physical therapy improves their well-being in a number of different ways. While each case and each patient are different, the benefits commonly associated with physical therapy include:

  • Pain Management: Many people who are injured in an accident attend physical therapy primarily in order to reduce or eliminate the pain caused by whiplash, disc herniation, fractures, and other injuries. The therapeutic exercises and manual therapy techniques utilized by physical therapists are often able to help reduce a patient’s pain and allow them to rely less on pain medication.
  • Can Help Avoid Surgery: In some circumstances physical therapy has been known to help a patient avoid having surgery altogether. This can be beneficial as surgeries sometimes involve a lengthy recovery, not to mention the inherent risk of undergoing the surgery itself.
  • Quickens Recovery: Individuals who attend physical therapy after an accident often recover much faster than they otherwise would have. Additionally, these individuals also tend to ultimately achieve better range of motion and muscle strength than those with comparable injuries who did not attend rehab.
  • Helps Prevent Chronic Pain: People injured in car accidents often suffer from chronic pain and other symptoms long after the accident occurred. Additionally, some car accident injuries, if left untreated, will worsen over time. Fortunately, accident victims who promptly attend physical therapy tend to experience much less chronic pain than they otherwise would.

Of course, if you have been injured in a wreck due to another person’s negligence, you may wish to speak with a car accident lawyer for help. Indeed, an attorney can help advocate on your behalf to ensure you receive the compensation necessary to pay for your recovery.

shoulder surgery

Self Care: Safe Dressing Following Shoulder Surgery / Injury

SafeDressingShoulderSurgery_FBsize

When recovering from shoulder surgery, it can be difficult to dress and undress without assistance. With the help of one of our trusted Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) they have compiled a list of tips to get dressed safely and independently while recovering.  It is highly recommended that you follow the instructions prescribed by your surgeon or attending physician.

DRESSING

Upper Body
• Bend forward at your hips and let your affected arm dangle loosely forward
• Always dress the affected arm through the sleeve of your shirt first
• Proceed to dress the unaffected arm

Lower Body
• One handed techniques to don socks: touch all fingers to your thumb, then slide the sock over your hand. Spread your fingers apart to open the sock and slide it onto the foot

Bra
• Clip the bra from the front and as low as possible to your waist. Guide the bra enclosure towards your back. Slide the strap over the affected arm and then slide

shoulder_3D

GROOMING

• Bend forward at the hips and dangle arm in order to clean and apply deodorant

These post shoulder surgery dressing tips were provided by The Hale Hand Center, with locations in Melbourne and Rockledge, FL. The Hale Hand Center offers both physical therapy and certified hand therapy services, as well as provides custom splinting. More information about The Hale Hand Center can be found on their website here.

avoid pitching injuries

Physical Therapist Tips on Avoiding Injury to Your Throwing Arm & What to Do in Case You Do

PTTipsOnThrowing_FBsize

Throwing a baseball or softball is one of the most demanding motions on the human body in sports. For each throw, the athlete generates high levels of energy in the arm and body to accelerate the baseball and softball to a high velocity. Just as it is important to understand proper biomechanics to improve performance, it is important to understand the stresses placed on the throwing shoulder and elbow by the throwing process.

Physical Therapist Tips on how to avoid pitching injuries

• Teach young athletes to be mindful of how their bodies feel. Pain is the first sign of a problem, and athletes of all ages need to pay close attention to any type of muscle twinge, tightening, or burning sensation.

• Coaches should carefully observe their pitchers’ techniques. Success on the field may be fleeting if the pitches ultimately are damaging a young player’s shoulder.

• Conditioning and strengthening exercises are most effective after mechanics are learned and put into action. If possible, begin a conditioning program at least a month before the season begins. A basic stretching regimen should be used before a player ever picks up a baseball.

• Players should start with short tosses and gradually work up to throwing the ball a greater distance. Increasing the velocity should be the final step.

• If the arm region is sore or tight, apply ice to the area for 10-15 minutes to help diminish the amount of blood that might otherwise leak into the muscle. When there is microscopic tearing of the muscle tissue, blood is leaking into the surrounding muscular tissue, causing pain and muscle spasms. Using ice will help reduce the pain, spasms, and inflammation associated with this condition.

• Before age 10, only fast ball and change-up should be permitted.

This information about how to avoid pitching injuries was written by University Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy group with eight locations in New River Valley, Virginia. University PT is THE choice for outstanding sports rehabilitation, physical therapy and occupational therapy services. For more information click here.

Frozen Shoulder

Frozen Shoulder: How Physical Therapy Can Help

FrozenShoulder_FBsize

Physical therapy can help patients experiencing frozen shoulder regain movement faster. If your initial pain doesn’t go away with usual pain relievers, it’s probably time to check with a physical therapist. That’s because it can take up to TWO YEARS to go away on it’s own! This is definitely not something to be ignored.

Adhesive capsulitis is more commonly known as frozen shoulder, and with good reason: It can render your shoulder so stiff, it’s almost impossible to button your shirt — that is, if you aren’t in too much pain to get dressed in the first place.

Where does this injury Come From?
In general it comes on after an injury to your shoulder or a bout with another musculo-skeletal condition such as tendinitis or bursitis. Quite often its cause can’t be pinpointed. Nonetheless, any condition that causes you to refrain from moving your arm and using your shoulder joint can put you at risk for developing this injury.
It affects 10-20 percent of people with diabetes according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Women are more likely to develop this injury than men and it occurs most frequently in people between the ages of 40 and 60.

Where does the diabetes come in?
Well, doctors still aren’t exactly sure. But they believe that excess glucose impacts the collagen in the shoulder. Collagen is a major building block in the ligaments that hold the bones together in a joint. When sugar molecules attach to the collagen, it can make the collagen sticky. The buildup then causes the affected shoulder to stiffen, and the pain prevents you from moving your arm. Ouch!

This injury has Three Stages:
FREEZING
Pain slowly becomes worse until range of motion is lost.
(Lasts 6 weeks to 9 months)

FROZEN
Pain improves, but the shoulder is still stiff.
(Lasts 4 to 6 months)

THAWING
Ability to move the shoulder improves until normal or close to normal.
(Lasts 6 months to 2 years)

Physical therapy is often very effective in treating frozen shoulder. If your initial pain doesn’t go away with the usual pain relievers, it’s probably time to check with a doctor. That’s because it can take up to two years to go away on its own! This is definitely not something to be ignored.

shoulder

TREATMENT
Treatment focuses on controlling pain and getting movement back to normal through physical therapy. Sometimes surgery is also considered. Talk to your doctor about treatment options that are right for you.

PREVENTION
Because doctors don’t really understand the causes, it can be difficult to prevent them in most cases. Keeping your blood sugars under control is always key to avoiding all complications. Doctors have also found that people who’ve suffered an injury to their shoulder or stroke are also at an increased risk, because of the immobility the other condition has caused. If you have diabetes and have had a shoulder injury, talk to your doctor or a physical therapist about what kind of exercises you can do to make sure this doesn’t happen to you.

Written by the Therapy Team at Advanced Physical Therapy

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome

ThinkstockPhotos-478265881
 
Article written by: Chris Wolfe, PT, Certified MDT, OCS
Director of Green Hills STAR Physical Therapy
www.StarPT.com

 
Shoulder disorders are some of the most common joint complaints, and shoulder impingement syndrome and rotator cuff tendonitis are considered to be the most frequent cause of shoulder pain and disability. The shoulder complex is unique in the body due to its structure and function. It is considered a ball and socket joint involving the large rounded end of the upper arm bone called the humerus and the small shallow socket of the shoulder blade. This disproportional shape allows for a wide range of directions that the arm can be moved; however, it does not provide much stability to hold it in place. The stability of the shoulder relies heavily on numerous ligaments, tendons and muscles; and the most common group is called the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff attaches to and surrounds the rounded end of the humerus and is bordered superiorly by a bony roof called the acromion. There is a small space between this bony roof and the rotator cuff. With reaching overhead, the space around the rotator cuff decreases, sandwiching and pinching the tendons between the two bones. This can lead to the disorder of shoulder impingement where the tendons become compressed and then inflamed.
Continue reading