Relief Strategies for Throbbing Shoulder Pain

Physiotherapy

Can Physiotherapy Help?

Is the throbbing pain in your shoulder keeping you awake at night? Do you avoid hanging out the washing because of the pain when you lift your arms up? If this is you, you may be suffering from subacromial bursitis.

A bursa is a fluid sac that sits between a tendon and bone limiting the friction between the two. The subacromial bursa in the shoulder sits between the supraspinatus tendon (rotator cuff tendon) and the acromion (bone). This bursa can become inflamed and impinge between the tendon and acromion and this is subacromial bursitis.

But what causes this to happen?

There is not one specific cause but a few possible causes. Subacromial bursitis can result from a direct trauma to the shoulder. It can be related to the muscles around the shoulder being weak, too tight or just not functioning correctly. Poor posture, for all the office workers out there, can cause subacromial bursitis, as can repetitive overhead activity.

You are probably wondering how you fix it? Will it ever go away?

The answer is YES! Lucky for you we have the tricks to help resolve subacromial bursitis. Of course, we first need to identify what could be causing the inflammation and then all we do is address the issue. So, if it is posture, we need to correct it. If the muscles are tight, we need to release them. If the shoulder is weak and dysfunctional, we need to strengthen and retrain it.

By addressing the cause of the bursitis, it will minimise the aggravation and allow the bursa to settle. The body is pretty clever at reducing inflammation, however jumping on some anti-inflammatory medication from your GP may also help to speed up the process.

If you can’t sleep at night because of throbbing shoulder pain or you just want to throw a ball for your dog without the pinching feeling in your shoulder then our physiotherapists know how to help!