This content was updated for accuracy and relevance on Feb 04, 2024.
Shoulder impingement is a prevalent condition that can cause significant discomfort and restrict mobility, affecting a large portion of the population at some point in their lives.
Understanding the types of impingement, their causes, and the available treatment options is crucial for effective management and recovery, especially for those who rely heavily on shoulder mobility for their daily activities or professional tasks.
What is Shoulder Impingement?
An impingement occurs when the soft tissue of your shoulder gets “pinched” where your collar bone (clavicle) and head of your shoulder bone (humerus) meet. This condition leads to pain during arm movements, impacting the ability to reach overhead, carry items, or even complete daily activities.
Types of Shoulder Impingement
Impingement is diagnosed as either primary, secondary, or posterior shoulder pain. These can be broken out as follows:
- Primary impingement syndrome – This is often due to wear and tear of the shoulder.
- Secondary impingement syndrome – This results from muscle weakness or imbalance, or shoulder instability.
- Posterior or internal impingement syndrome – This is typically related to tightness in the shoulder joint capsule and affects overhead athletes, such as volleyball and tennis players.
Diagnosing Shoulder Impingement
Different clinical tests, a thorough history, and examination will help diagnose shoulder impingement syndrome. Your doctor or physical therapist can evaluate the joint mobility of your shoulder to assess how tight the shoulder capsule is and determine the next course of treatment.
Treating Shoulder Impingement
Treatment for a shoulder posterior impingement includes stretching the muscles of your chest and neck and strengthening the muscles of the shoulder blade to bring the shoulder down and back. Treatment may include manual stretching by your physical therapist to improve shoulder mobility, if tight. However, it’s not a part of all shoulder impingement care.
Treatment will typically last from 4-6 weeks to allow for retraining of your muscles and loosening of the shoulder capsule to occur. Some (but not all) patients will be seen for physical therapy three times a week and also prescribed a daily home exercise program for their shoulder problem. Initial soreness may be experienced, but you should let your physical therapist know if pain is increasing or if any of the exercises you are performing hurt.
If conservative treatment fails, a surgeon may go in to release the capsule to allow the shoulder to slide back and down into the joint space, although this is rare. After surgical treatment, you can expect to be in physical therapy for pain relief, range of motion, strengthening, manual therapy, and education.
Most people experience relief of symptoms and are able to return to their daily activities. Although shoulder impingement is common, it is very treatable while working closely with your healthcare professional team.
Physical Therapy for Shoulder Pain
If you are experiencing shoulder pain, you have a variety of options at your disposal. At Ivy Rehab, we provide shoulder pain treatment to address the root cause and mitigate symptoms. We’ll come up with a treatment plan that suits your needs so you can begin the path to recovery. Your doctor or physical therapist will be able to answer any additional questions you may have regarding your posterior shoulder pain.
Contact us today to learn more!
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The medical information contained herein is provided as an information resource only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultation with healthcare professionals. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-provider relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment or medical advice.
Please consult with your healthcare provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. IvyRehab Network, Inc. disclaims any and all responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained herein.
