San Clemente, CA

Shoulder

The shoulder is the most movable joint in the body, it is also an unstable joint because of its range-of-motion. The freedom of movement has been developed at the expense of stability (commonly known as the mobility-stability trade off), and it is these competing mobility and stability demands, combined with an intricate structural and functional design, which makes the shoulder complex highly susceptible to dysfunction and instability (ultimately to injury). The shoulder demonstrates a unique functional balance between mobility and stability through active forces, known as dynamic stabilization and the Gyrotonic Method addresses this balance magnificently. 

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The complexities of the shoulder joint present many opportunities for pain-causing conditions. Some of the more common causes of shoulder pain are:

 

Arthritis — Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the shoulder joint wears out, a common age-related issue. Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain when the immune system decides to attack membranes surrounding the shoulder joint.

Tendonitis — Overuse of the shoulder joint (often related to the demands of a job or favorite sport) can cause the tendons to suffer from ongoing inflammation. The swelling can then create painful impingement when you raise your arm or move it in certain directions. 

Bursitis — Sometimes, the friction from neighboring tendons can cause the bursae to experience inflammation, making overhead motions painful.

Dislocation — When the head of the humerus pops out of its place, the shoulder is said to be dislocated. This is an enormously painful injury, and one which you may be more vulnerable to after the first incidence.

Frozen shoulder — The medical term for frozen shoulder, is adhesive capsulitis. Frozen shoulder  is a common disorder that causes pain, stiffness, and loss of normal range of motion in the shoulder. The resulting disability can be serious, and the condition tends to get worse with time if it's not treated. It affects mainly people ages 40 to 60 — women more often than men.

 

How We Treat:

Upon your first visit we will perform a thorough evaluation to determine the root cause in order to develop the best plan of care to get you out of pain as quickly as possible and to get you back to normal function.  Your plan of care will include Manual Therapy to reduce pain and restore normal range of motion.  We will work to restore the dynamic stability of the shoulder complex using The Gyrotonic Method which will correct imbalances and improve overall strength through your entire range of motion. You will also be  given some basic yet  specific exercises to perform at home to help you maintain the improvements made in the clinic.  If you are just recently experiencing pain or if you have been dealing with a chronic issue, WAV PT can help!