NOTE: Occasionally, I’ll come across an article from a few years ago (pre-blog era) that’s “blog-worthy”…here’s another! An imbalance in shoulder muscle strength is thought to be an injury risk factor for overhead athletes (Wang 2001). The overhead throwing motion is characterized by a concentric contraction of the internally rotating muscles during acceleration and eccentric contraction of [...]
Shoulder rehabilitation patients often perform range of motion exercises using shoulder pulleys and bars. These “active-assisted” exercises are often used as the next-step in shoulder rehabilitation after passive range of motion (ROM) exercises. Active-assisted range of motion (AAROM) exercises are usually performed to begin muscle activation when it’s important to protect healing tissue, especially after [...]
Closed chain exercises such as weight-bearing through the shoulder in a quadruped position are thought to increase co-contraction around the glenohumeral joint for stabilization. The addition of an unstable surface such as an exercise ball is often prescribed for therapeutic exercises to increase shoulder muscle activation compared to a stable surface. Researchers in Brazil compared [...]
Trapezius muscle balance is important for normal shoulder function. Often in patients with impingement, the lower trapezius is much weaker than the upper trapezius. Traditional exercises to strengthen the lower trapezius such as prone shoulder flexion may cause further impingement, creating a “catch 22” for clinicians: Is there a better exercise for the lower trapezius [...]
Rotator cuff disease is the most common cause of shoulder pain in primary care (Ostor et al. 2005) and includes diagnoses such as bursitis, impingement, and rotator cuff tendinosis. Several studies featured in the Academy Blog have described how effective Thera-Band® exercises are in treating shoulder conditions, particularly when combined with manual therapy. Researchers in [...]
Last year, I reported on a study from Norway comparing elastic resistance exercises with shockwave therapy in patients with shoulder pain. In that 2009 study, the researchers reported on the outcomes of 194 patients randomly assigned to 12 weeks of exercise using elastic resistance or 4 to 6 treatments of radial extracorporeal shockwave treatment (RESWT). [...]
Frozen shoulder, or “adhesive capsulitis,” affects nearly 5% of the population. It remains a painful, debilitating and difficult-to-treat diagnosis. Dr. Phil Page and Andre Labbe published a paper in the North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy that reviewed the current concepts in physical therapy treatment for frozen shoulder patients. They reviewed interventions such as [...]
Shoulder instability is a common cause of shoulder pain. Shoulder instability patients have been traditionally diagnosed from 2 groups: from traumatic, unilateral instability, resulting in surgery (TUBS), or atraumatic, bilateral multi-directional instability best managed with rehabilitation (AMBR). However, a new classification scheme suggests there are 3 groups of shoulder instability patients: 1. Traumatic structural; 2. [...]
Shoulder impingement and rotator cuff injuries often respond well to physical therapy exercises. The success of the exercise program will depend on an accurate clinical assessment and an evidence-based approach to prescribing appropriate interventions. Two expert physical therapists and clinical researchers published an excellent review on the rehabilitation of shoulder impingement syndrome and rotator cuff [...]
Shoulder impingement is a very common cause of shoulder pain. Impingement occurs when the humerus ‘impinges’ on the acromion of the shoulder, reducing the subacromial space (SAS). Impingement may result from structural causes such as bony deformation of the acromion, or as a functional result of shoulder instability and weakness. While therapeutic exercise is a [...]
