Remote Health Care

Shoulder pain is a widespread problem that affects the majority of the population. Most people experience some degree of pain in her shoulder to a point. The causes of pain and the degree of intensity of symptoms vary from person to person. The recovery and return to normal function will also vary from person to person for a variety of reasons. But how do you say what is causing your shoulder pain? This article discusses some common methods that the various pain generators of the shoulder are diagnosed from the perspective of an experienced Physical Therapist. Three common pain generators of the shoulder are the rotator cuff muscles and tendons, the Bursa and the shoulder capsule. The purpose of the rotator cuff muscles and tendons to move our shoulder in a rotating fashion (hence their name) and help increase our arms over our head. The purpose of the Bursa or bursitis sac is to protect the muscle from scraping on the edge of the bone. So the Bursa lies between the muscles and the bones and acts as a cushion. Without them, the rotator cuff muscles would repeatedly scrape at the edge of the bone and are easily irritated. The shoulder capsule an additional stability to the shoulder. One of these structures can become a pain generator if they are inflamed or injured. Often they are infected, in conjunction with each other.
It can sometimes be difficult to diagnose the exact pain generator, because the symptoms of people with these diseases are usually very similar to each other. More often than not these pathologies will cause symptoms of pain, weakness and loss of movement. The pain is usually in the shoulder region and is often in the upper arm above the elbow. People with shoulder pain will commonly feel an increase in pain when they try to raise their arm overhead or on the side. So, if these diseases are so similar in nature as we can tell them apart?
Well, in physical therapy, there are a few simple tests that can be implemented that help you distinguish between the various pathologies described above. I will describe them here briefly.
    1. Rotator cuff tendonitis: if one or more of the rotator cuff muscles is inflamed this as tendonitis. This is diagnosed by simple manual muscle test, in which the physical therapist will resist specific motions of the shoulder that the rotator cuff is responsible for. If the patient pain during a manual muscle test, this is an indication of tendonitis.
    2. Bursitis: This can be a challenge for the therapist to diagnose, but if they are well trained, they are easier to identify this as a problem. The tests start with manual muscle testing as described above. If one of the manual muscle testing is painful, the Physical Therapist can then perform a pull test. This is a specific test that is specific to the Bursa. If it is positive, then it is likely that the person has a bursitis of the shoulder.
    3. Adhesive capsulitis: This is also commonly known as frozen shoulder. For a diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the Physical Therapist must test the passive movements of the shoulder. Remember how I mentioned that one of the diseases can be discussed here with a limited range of motion. Adhesive capsulitis presents with a very specific limitation in motion, probably from the movement is limited in tendonitis and bursitis.
If the symptoms of these diseases are so similar, then why do we need so specific to the diagnosis? The reason is that although the symptoms are similar to treatments for these conditions may vary slightly from one another. Some things that I can provide for an adhesive capsulitis I could not for the treatment of tendonitis, and so on. So a specific diagnosis can help guide the direction of Physical Therapist in a specific plan of treatment for pathology in question. A well-rounded treatment plan will lead to positive results in improving your painful shoulder.