Dr. Ian Nay, PT, DPT, OCS Shoulder pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders that we see at MEND, and in fact, will affect about 25% of all individuals at some point in their lives (1). Pain-relieving injections such as cortisone or corticosteroids have traditionally been used as a first-line treatment for shoulder...
Shoulder Pain and Impingement Background Shoulder pain is a common source of peripheral joint pain occurring at a prevalence rate of up to 47% across all age groups and is second most common cause of musculoskeletal pain(7,9). Symptoms of shoulder pain account for 33.2% of physician visits in the U.S. and are most frequently associated...
In our previous blog posts we have written on the limitations of MRI for many injuries and conditions. In general, these expensive tests have high rates of false positives where patients without pain often have positive results including ligament/labrum tears or tendon changes. The incidence of false of positives increases in athletes with the majority...
Despite having no symptoms, many of us will develop age-related changes in the musculoskeletal structures of our bodies, similar to the aging effects on our skin. These findings are most prevalent on highly sensitive imaging techniques such as MRI and often lead to unnecessary and costly medical procedures. Our shoulders are also prone to development of age...
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” – Buddha. Mental health has a significant impact on recovery from many musculoskeletal diagnoses including low back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain. Our thoughts and perceptions about our bodies and their ability to recover...
Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal problem and one of the top reasons patients seek care from their primary care physician. There are many sources of shoulder pain including impingement and rotator cuff tendonitis or tears, but they all have one impairment in common altered muscle recruitment. When pain is introduced into the body the...
Shoulder pain is the 2nd most common orthopedic reason patients seek out medical care behind low back pain. Shoulder pain has many causes including lack of mobility, shoulder blade and rotator cuff weakness, but posture is often criticized as a risk factor for shoulder pain. Clinicians and patients believe a poor posture places structures such...
The shoulder blade and upper arm bone move together to produce a variety of arm and hand movements essential for life and sport. Proper movement of the shoulder blade is required to produce normal mechanics at the joint surfaces and maintain the length and function of the shoulder blade and shoulder muscles. Abnormal mechanics between...
In previous blogs we have written on the recent research documenting the lack of differences between sham surgery and surgery for spinal and knee conditions. For example, in the case of arthroscopic surgery for degenerative knee meniscal tears the evidence does not support its’ use due to its’ inability to perform better than sham knee...
Poor movements patterns at the shoulder blade (scapular dyskinesis) is quickly becoming the over pronation of the upper extremity. Although associated with a number of shoulder diagnoses including rotator cuff tears, tendinopathy, and impingement many questions remain. We observe these patterns of movement in both strong and weak individuals, as well as, those with and...
