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...
In our Lafayette Physical Therapy and Boulder Physical Therapy clinics we often have my patients ask whether a steroid injection is appropriate for managing their symptoms of tendon pain. This question does not have a simple answer. While corticosteroids can be effective for pain relief and inflammation control there are underlying physiological changes that happen...
photo credit: radiopaedia.org Magnetic resonance imaging of musculoskeletal pain has long been known to find various pathologies, including herniated disks, tendon tears, and spinal stenosis, which may or may not contribute to an individual’s symptoms. These spinal and extremity findings are common in pain free individuals especially over the age of 30 years old. As...
There is an old saying in medicine “the difference between pathology and pain is the patient”. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics this is shown in the interpretation of MRI results. As these images have become more and more sensitive they rarely miss anything in the body, but often find pathology...
Rotator cuff tears are a common injury in middle to older aged adults seen in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics and can be atraumatic or traumatic in nature. Traumatic rotator cuff tears often occur following a fall, acute sports injury, or can be an acute on chronic tear in nature. This...
Physical Therapy has been shown to be equally effective to surgery for some types of rotator cuff tears up to 5 years after diagnosis. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice, many of our patients with rotator cuff tears do very well without surgery and are able to return to full function after treatment. Patients with...
Rotator cuff repair is a common surgical procedures for middle to older age adults who reports shoulder pain and significant limitations in daily and recreational activities despite a course of early Physical Therapy. Early treatment by a Boulder Physical Therapist can prevent the need for surgery after a rotator cuff diagnosis, but in some individuals...
Shoulder pain is a common occurrence affecting 2/3 of adults and is one of the top three reasons patients will seek care from a primary care physician or Physical Therapist. The most probable reason for shoulder pain remains rotator cuff pain including impingement, rotator cuff tendon pain, and rotator cuff tears. Research studies on MRI...
Physical Therapy strengthening exercises remain the first line treatment for patients with shoulder diagnoses including impingement and rotator cuff pain. While immediate gains in range of motion and pain can be found using spinal and extremity manual therapy interventions, long term outcomes are achieved through a focused strength training program. Exercises are prescribed to target...
Overuse tendon injuries can present as an acute inflammatory response (Tendinitis) or a chronic degeneration condition (tendinopathy). These injuries result when an individual’s volume of activity (type, duration, frequency, and intensity) exceeds the strength and integrity of the tendon. At MEND, we commonly see these injuries in the tendons of the rotator cuff, knee, ankle...
