Prevent Shoulder Pain Early With Simple Tips

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Stop It Before It Starts: Simple Tips to Prevent Shoulder Pain

If you’ve ever suffered a shoulder injury, then you know how debilitating it can be. Not only are you experiencing persistent pain, but most shoulder injuries also restrict the range of motion in the joint, making day-to-day tasks — from grabbing a cup off the high shelf to brushing your hair — feel nearly impossible.

At Infinity Physical Therapy, our team of physical therapists will work with you to identify and resolve the underlying causes of your shoulder pain. We offer acute pain relief and can guide you through a complete shoulder rehabilitation regardless of whether or not you require surgery — and often, you can resolve a shoulder injury with physical therapy alone!

But that process can take a while, and we want to help you avoid shoulder injuries, too. While we do incorporate injury prevention information into our rehab programs, it’s never a bad time to start incorporating small changes into your routine that can help prevent shoulder pain.

If you’d like to learn more about how we help prevent and alleviate shoulder pain, call us to schedule an appointment today!

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Need A Little Help? We’ve Got You

The Infinity Physical Therapy physical therapists can help you prevent shoulder injuries as easily as we can treat them! Whether you’re looking for a shoulder stretch and strengthen routine, postural corrections, or some simple ergonomic adjustments, we’re here for you. Call us today to get started!

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Meet Our Team

What Causes Shoulder Pain and Injury, Anyway?

Your shoulder is an incredibly complex ball-and-socket joint with several moving parts, including:

  • Three separate bones: the humerus (arm bone), scapula (shoulder blade), and clavicle (collarbone)
  • Cartilage that wraps and protects these bones from rubbing against each other
  • Three main ligaments that connect your shoulder’s bones
  • A collection of muscles and tendons known as the rotator cuff that wrap and support the shoulder joint
  • Bursae: small fluid-filled sacs that protect your tendons

Damaging any of these structures can lead to shoulder pain, weakness, and immobility. Some people injure their shoulders through sudden, acute injuries, especially if they’re active — a hard fall on the football field could tear your rotator cuff or dislocate the arm bone out of your shoulder socket.

However, many shoulder injuries are actually overuse injuries, meaning the pain and immobility symptoms occur due to repeated micro-injuries in your shoulder’s tissue. Often, sports-related shoulder injuries are actually due to overuse, as repeated overhead motions (such as throwing a ball or certain swimming strokes) put stress on the shoulder joint, leading to symptoms.

Using improper form can also contribute to overuse injuries, as can having improper posture — a weak upper back strains your shoulder muscles, making them do more work than needed. Preventing shoulder pain is really about preventing these overuse injuries. By making small changes, you can keep your shoulders strong, healthy, and pain-free!

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Our Patients Get Great Results

“Infinity Physical Therapy helped me in my recovery from my fractured collarbone. Everyone was very helpful and kind. They helped me get back my reaching and movement. I appreciate everything they did for me. I would recommend them to everyone needing therapy. “

– L.B.

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Five Ways You Can Help Prevent Shoulder Pain

  1. Strengthen your upper body: Strong upper back and shoulder muscles are better able to provide the shoulder joint with the support and stability it needs, meaning you’ll be less likely to suffer an injury. Not sure how to get started? Our PTs can walk you through some appropriate exercises.
  2. Keep your mobility: We can show you simple range of motion exercises that will get the blood flowing to your joints, keeping them healthy. Reaching overhead, across your body, or behind your back are all basic stretches that can do wonders — just make sure you never force a movement! 
  3. Don’t forget to warm up first: Many popular recreational activities put you at risk for a shoulder injury, including swimming, pickleball, and tennis. It’s crucial that you warm up your shoulder before you dive in. Try some quick cardio paired with active shoulder stretches (like arm circles).
  4. Maintain proper posture: Proper posture isn’t about standing up straight all the time; it’s about maintaining postural awareness and keeping your spine in alignment no matter what you’re doing. And if you have a sedentary job, move around regularly. Both habits will help keep your upper back and shoulder strong.
  5. Pay attention to ergonomics. If your workspace isn’t shoulder-friendly, you might wind up with an overuse injury. Simple changes — like adjusting the height of your computer monitor or maintaining good posture when using hand tools — will reduce repetitive stress and lower your chances of developing shoulder pain.
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One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup whole milk, or more as needed
  • 8 oz penne pasta
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, julienne-style, drained
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet, add the butter, shallot, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
  2. Add the tomato paste, oregano, and paprika. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until the tomato paste starts to darken.
  3. Add the chicken broth, milk, pasta, cherry tomatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes; season with salt and pepper.
  4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 18-20 minutes, until the pasta is tender yet firm to the bite.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach and Parmesan cheese until the spinach is wilted and the cheese is incorporated.
  6. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed until the desired consistency is reached.
  7. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Ergonomic Tips for Good Shoulder Health

Ergonomics is a field of study focused on optimizing the environments in which people work, ensuring a safe, happy, and productive workplace. Whether you work in an office or at a construction site, your job might contribute to your shoulder pain. Simple ergonomic adjustments can help minimize your risk of a shoulder injury.

If You Have an Office Job…
  • Adjust the height of your desk and chair to ensure your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle.
  • Make sure your mouse is close enough to your keyboard that you don’t overreach to use it.
  • Adjust your monitor so the top is at or slightly below eye level.
  • Take frequent breaks throughout the day to get up, move around, and stretch.
If You Have a Manual Job…
  • Avoid bending your torso to pick up items (even if they aren’t heavy). Instead, use positioning devices (like a forklift) to bring the items right in front of you.
  • Avoid repeatedly lifting items above your head whenever possible, and remember to keep what you’re lifting close to your body.
  • Take regular breaks, especially if you’re performing repetitive movements.
  • Always warm up before starting your day!

Call Infinity Physical Therapy for Customized Tips

Want more personalized ergonomic advice from our team of physical therapists? Call to schedule an appointment today!

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HAVE YOU MET YOUR ANNUAL INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE?

An insurance deductible is the amount of money that you must pay before your insurance company pays for your medical services. If your deductible is met, your Physical Therapy may not cost you anything. Patients with family plans or those who have had major surgeries or have a chronic illness are especially likely to have a $0 balance remaining on their out-of-pocket expenses. This means that the cost of physical therapy could be minimal or completely covered by the patient’s insurance plan. If you are close to or have met your insurance deductible for the year, then now is the time to come in for Physical Therapy! Are you feeling aches and pains? Need to work on your core? Let us help you get a head start for 2025. 

Have you undergone surgery recently? Schedule an appointment with one of our physical therapists today. We’ll guide you to affordable treatments that will place you one step closer to pain relief.

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