Shoulder Pain an Underlying Issue
Shoulder Pain an Underlying Issue
Shoulder pain is a common problem not only in the athletic population but also within the general public. Whether the pain comes from doing overhead movements or having the feeling of general shoulder instability, it can be a debilitating injury that can limit your active daily living. Some shoulder pain comes on after a specific instance, but others can come on gradually and without warning. As time progresses the pain tends to worsen and you stop doing what you would normally lead to a decrease in shoulder range of motion and in the worst-case scenario frozen shoulder and/or surgery.
No matter the population, surgery is a last resort and can oftentimes be avoided depending on the severity and how soon the problem is addressed. Scapular dyskinesis is a common sign that your shoulder is either painful, has been injured before, or will soon become painful. An evaluation of your shoulder complex can really help determine the problem and guide the practitioner in the right direction to address the issue. Scapular Dyskinesis is when the shoulder blade (scapula) does not move or rest properly during shoulder movements and is typically seen on one side more than the other.
Now the general public usually doesn’t get an orthopedic evaluation unless something is wrong, which is why it is important to address the issue as soon as possible. With an athletic population, I can not stress enough the importance of pre-season physical evaluations to address any weakness you may have in order to avoid injury. A proper and thorough evaluation of your shoulder movements in particular overhead athletes such as baseball and even lacrosse players can help guide a treatment program that can keep your shoulder healthy and strong allowing you to stay on the field and perform better than before.
Scapular dyskinesis is not easily seen because it is only visible from behind you so you may have this issue and not even know that it’s the reason for your shoulder pain. Scapular winging is one sign that you are dealing with this issue and that is when the scapula lifts off your rib cage and looks like “wings.” A few exercises that can fix this are scapular punches, side-lying shoulder external rotation and foot elevated push-ups. These exercises have been shown through EMG studies to activate the serratus anterior muscle responsible for scapular stabilization, and pulling the shoulder forward and around the rib cage. So in review, a proper evaluation from a skilled sports medicine practitioner with experience working with overhead athletes can provide the information needed to design an exercise protocol to alleviate or prevent acute or chronic shoulder discomfort.
