Yonemoto Physical Therapy

Often a patient will state, “All I did was turn to get something from the back seat of the car and I felt an aching in my shoulder.”  The pain seemingly comes from nowhere and movement is markedly limited in all directions, hence we have the term "frozen shoulder."  The ligament surrounding the shoulder joint gets very tight and sticks to itself making overhead movements particularly difficult.  A portion of this ligament in the armpit region has enough "material" to allow the arm to go overhead, similar to the underarm region of a jacket sleeve.

The shoulder is a system consisting of four joints: the breastbone, the collarbone, the shoulder blade, and the upper arm bone which attaches onto a fairly flat socket on the shoulder blade and is suspended and supported by ligaments and muscles.

Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon, the part of the muscle attached to the bone. Inflammation is the body’s way of healing an injured area and usually warns of an injury caused by overuse or strain. To treat tendinitis, you need to rest from activities triggering the pain and swelling.  The body cannot heal an injured area if you continue to use it.  Ice often helps decrease swelling.  The swelling puts pressure on nerves and causes pain. Reducing any scar tissue with special massage techniques helps by reducing tension occurring from these tight structures pulling on the bones. Finally, the muscles need to be retrained to move in a balanced fashion so the strain does not recur.

A bursa is a fluid filled sac covering adjacent areas reducing friction over the two surfaces and allowing better gliding.  Sometimes, due to abnormal stress, an inflamed condition (bursitis) occurs.

Your shoulder may hurt more at night due to your arm position causing more pressure on the injured structures. The body uses pain as a means of communicating potential injury warning you to change positions. The body seems to heal more during sleep, so the inflammatory process may be greatest at night.

Use extra pillows to support the arm and shoulder. A cold pack decreases pressure and may slow down pain impulses. Chamomile tea which is an herbal anti-inflammatory, deep breathing and/or relaxation exercises may also help.

Since the shoulder relies on the balance between the muscles surrounding the joint, influenced by posture and activity, it is important to maintain a balanced length, strength and proper coordination of muscle activity.  Hopefully, by doing this you will get a peaceful night's sleep.

If you have any questions, please submit them to:
Sheila Yonemoto, P.T.
Yonemoto Physical Therapy
55 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 100
Alhambra, CA 91801
PH:  626 576 0591
FAX: 626 576 5890

Links:
http://www.yonemoto.com/ - Yonemoto Physical Therapy home page
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/IMT.htm - Integrative Manual Therapy, a Hands-On Approach
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/qigong.htm - Qigong to boost the immune system

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