ASK A PHYSICAL THERAPIST

Last months question:  "My shoulder has been bothering me for several months, the pain is not bad and is not always present yet is not getting better.  What should I do and at what point should I see someone about it?"

PT response:  "As always, what kind of self treatment or professional treatment you render should be based upon a complete examination to determine the exact cause of your symptoms.  I would suggest that if the symptoms have been ongoing this long you should have your physician or physical therapist take a look at it.  Commonly, insidious pain to the front of the shoulder is associated to an inflammatory condition, thus 15 min. of ice 2-3x/day, maintaining pain-free motion and avoiding lifting objects to the side of your body or over-head is helpful in reducing the inflammation and thus pain.  If this is not successful in 1-2 weeks, I would suggest being examined to rule out underlying structural pathology (your physician) and/or functional impairment (your physical therapist) which may be causing a form of impingement of soft tissue and thus inflammation/pain."
—Dr. Maury Hayashida, physical therapist

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**This page of our website offers you the opportunity to ask specific questions to the knowledgeable professionals that work here at Hayashida & Associates Physical Therapy. Any information posted on www.hayashida-assoc.com is intended for general informational purposes only, and is not medical advice nor should it be construed as medical opinion, diagnosis or treatment. See your health-care professional for medical advice and treatment.