A rotator cuff tear showing up on your MRI does not mean surgery is your only option. In many cases, it may not even be the reason you’re experiencing pain. This surprises almost everyone who receives that diagnosis. Rotator cuff tears are incredibly common in people with no shoulder symptoms, and they become more prevalent […]
A Rotator Cuff Tear Doesn’t Automatically Mean Surgery Read More »
The biggest mistake people make with front-of-shoulder pain is assuming that a special test or MRI can tell them exactly what’s wrong. Usually, it can’t. If you’ve had a shoulder exam where someone pressed on a specific spot or performed a special test to “confirm” biceps tendon pain, you should know that research shows these
Why Front-of-Shoulder Pain Isn’t Always a Biceps Tendon Problem Read More »
Many people come into the clinic thinking something like this: “I’ve been doing exercises for a few weeks, but they’re not working, so I probably need surgery.” The problem is that this way of thinking has it backwards. For most rotator cuff problems, exercise therapy is the primary treatment, not just something you try before
If you’ve been told you have biceps tendonitis because of pain in the front of your shoulder, the diagnosis is likely using outdated terminology. Tendonitis implies that inflammation is the primary problem. However, research, including a well-known 2015 paper, suggests that biceps tendon pain is usually not driven by inflammation. Instead, it’s most often the
Your shoulder pain probably isn’t “tendonitis,” and that distinction actually matters. Read More »
Frozen shoulder is one of the most misunderstood conditions we see in physical therapy. Many people expect it to improve quickly, and some treatment approaches push the shoulder too aggressively, which can actually make symptoms worse. If you’ve been diagnosed with adhesive capsulitis, or your shoulder has become progressively stiffer and more painful over the
Rotator cuff tears, labral fraying, and impingement findings appear on shoulder MRIs every day. The surprising part is that many of these findings are also present in people who have no shoulder pain at all. They continue working, exercising, golfing, swimming, and living their lives without ever knowing those changes exist. That fact challenges the
Your MRI Doesn’t Explain Your Shoulder Pain (And That’s Actually Good News) Read More »
If you press heavy and press often, your risk of developing overhead press shoulder pain is much higher than that of the average gym-goer. That’s not bad luck. It’s a predictable result of how strength sports are programmed and how they develop certain muscles over time. The good news is that understanding why it happens
Why Powerlifters and Bodybuilders Get Shoulder Pain More Than Almost Everyone Else Read More »
If you surf, paddleboard, or do any sport that involves overhead pulling through water, your shoulder is doing something genuinely demanding. Shoulder problems are one of the most common things we treat at Land and Sea PT, and a significant portion of those patients are water sports athletes who kept pushing through discomfort until they
Surfers and Paddlers: Why Your Shoulder Keeps Breaking Down Read More »
If you’ve been told you have a rotator cuff tear and surgery was presented as the obvious next step, it’s worth pausing before you book the OR. For the majority of rotator cuff tears, physical therapy produces outcomes comparable to surgery. Not slightly worse. Comparable. And PT doesn’t come with the recovery time, the cost,
Rotator Cuff Tear: Do You Actually Need Surgery? What the Research Says Read More »
