Shoulder Pain in Active Adults: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention

Are you an active adult grappling with shoulder pain? Whether you're an avid pickleball player, a triathlete, or someone who enjoys staying fit, shoulder pain can significantly impact your quality of life and athletic performance. As a physical therapist who's both experienced and treated shoulder pain, I'm here to share insights that could help you return to your active lifestyle.

What Causes Shoulder Pain in Active Adults?

Shoulder pain can stem from various factors, not just from obvious traumatic injuries. Here are some common causes:

1. Stiffness: A lack of proper joint mobility can cause the shoulder to constantly operate at the end range of its ability.
2. Instability: A lack of proper activation around the shoulder joint can lead to excessive motion in the joint, causing increased pain when moving.
3. Poor Posture: Standing in suboptimal positions can cause increased stress on the shoulder.
4. Muscle Imbalances: Our bodies adapt to what we demand from them. Consistently poor movement patterns or prolonged postures can create imbalances, leading to overuse injuries.
5. Repetitive Overhead Motions: Common in sports like swimming, pickleball, or weightlifting.

Understanding these causes is crucial in addressing your shoulder pain effectively.

Our bodies are remarkably adaptable, constantly changing in response to the demands we place on them. While this adaptability is generally beneficial, it can sometimes lead to problems. When we consistently use poor movement patterns or maintain certain postures for extended periods, our bodies adapt to these suboptimal states. This can result in some muscles becoming overworked and tight, while others become weak and underused.

For instance, a pickleball player who always relies on powerful overhead serves might develop an imbalance between the muscles at the front and back of their shoulder. Similarly, a swimmer who doesn't properly engage their core and back muscles might overstress their shoulder joints during each stroke. In both cases, the brain may have long ago decided to decrease activation in the rotator cuff as a protective mechanism and other problems and pain start to surface with continued use.

These imbalances don't just affect the muscles directly involved in an activity. They can create a chain reaction throughout the body, altering our overall movement patterns and posture. Over time, this can lead to a lack of resilience - our bodies become so accustomed to these imbalanced patterns that we struggle to move efficiently in other ways when needed.

Our Holistic Approach to Treating Shoulder Pain

At Activated Movement Physical Therapy, we don't just treat the symptoms; we look at the whole picture. Here's how we approach shoulder pain treatment:

1. Comprehensive Assessment: We examine not just your shoulder, but your entire body mechanics. Sometimes, the root cause of shoulder pain is in your neck, back, or even your hips!
2. Muscle Energy Techniques: These hands-on methods help restore mobility to stiff joints and relax tense muscles around the shoulder complex.
3. Postural Correction: We address asymmetries in your posture, from scapular positioning to thoracic spine mobility. This isn't just about "standing up straight" - it's about optimizing your body's alignment.
4. Be Activated Techniques: We use assessment and reflex work to address underlying muscle activation patterns that can be causing pain in activities. 
5. Targeted Strengthening: We design exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff, scapular stabilizers, and other supporting muscles. This is crucial for long-term pain relief and injury prevention.
6. Mobility Exercises: Gentle stretches and range-of-motion exercises help improve flexibility and reduce stiffness in the shoulder joint.
7. Sport-Specific Training: We provide guidance on proper technique for activities like pickleball serves or swimming strokes to reduce shoulder strain.
8. Education: We empower you with knowledge about your condition and teach you self-management techniques.

A Personal Journey: My Experience with Shoulder Pain

Let me share a personal experience that shaped my approach to treating shoulder pain. A few years ago, I spent hours throwing a football one day after not having thrown much for years. What seemed like harmless fun led to shoulder pain that persisted for about a year. I lost range of motion and strength in my shoulder, which significantly impacted my daily activities and ability to exercise. I had set a goal to learn how to perform a handstand, and my shoulder would not cooperate!

Through this experience, I learned firsthand the importance of a comprehensive approach to shoulder rehabilitation. To recover, I had to address underlying movement problems while also allowing the injured tissues to heal. This involved:

1. Gentle reintroduction of range of motion exercises
2. Gradual strength training, starting with very light resistance
3. Addressing postural issues that were contributing to the problem
4. Improving mobility in my thoracic spine and scapular stability
5. Returning to throwing. This was the best part! 

The recovery process was not quick, but it was thorough. By taking this holistic approach, I not only alleviated my shoulder pain but also improved my overall upper body function.

This experience reinforced my belief in treating the whole body, not just the site of pain. It's a testament to how interconnected our body systems are and how a comprehensive approach can lead to lasting relief.

The lessons I learned through my own recovery now inform how I treat patients at Activated Movement Physical Therapy. We don't just focus on the painful area; we look at how the entire body moves and functions. This often means starting with gentle exercises to restore range of motion, then gradually building strength while addressing any underlying postural or movement issues.

Taking the Next Step

Living with shoulder pain doesn't have to be your new normal. Whether you're a swimmer, a pickleball enthusiast, a weightlifter, or just someone who wants to reach for objects without wincing, there's hope. With the right approach, you can overcome shoulder pain and return to an active lifestyle, often with better form and function than before.

Remember, your body is adaptable and resilient. Sometimes it just needs some expert guidance to remind it how to move correctly. If you're tired of shoulder pain holding you back from the activities you love, why not take the first step towards recovery?

At Activated Movement Physical Therapy, we're here to help you understand your pain, treat it effectively, and get you back to doing what you love. Don't let shoulder pain limit your active life – let's work together to keep you moving, pain-free.

Ready to tackle your shoulder pain with a comprehensive, whole-body approach? Reach out for a consultation. Your comfortable, pain-free, active life is waiting!