What are the causes of shoulder pain at night?
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Shoulder pain can be very frustrating and most times difficult to deal with. Shoulder pain can happen to anyone and for many reasons, but one of the most common that we see in the clinic is called ‘Rotator Cuff Impingement’.
There are many of causes of shoulder pain that result from a variety of shoulder conditions. The most common causes include shoulder impingement, bursitis, tendon damage (tendinopathy or tendinitis) or rotator cuff tears and arthritis (which can affect a few areas of the shoulder).Unfortunately several of these common sources of shoulder problems cause increased pain at night or during periods of rest. It certainly makes it difficult to get a good night’s sleep when your shoulder is in pain.
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How To Fix Shoulder Pain?
You first have to address the major causes. Is it the bony architecture, or is it an incorrect movement of the shoulder blade? Take the time to see your physiotherapist to get a correct diagnosis. If you do this correctly in the beginning, it could save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
Let’s imagine you have been to your physio, now what. Whatever the case, the impingement you have been suffering has probably led to some minor changes in the tendon, so you need to start to get it stronger.
There has been some amazing research that has come out by great Australian researchers in the past few years looking into tendon pathology and healing. And excitingly, they have created a very specific protocol to follow if you have tendon problems.
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Part 1 involves doing what’s called isometric exercises. Your physio will most likely give you some resistance band and you will have to contract the cuff in a certain direction to start to load the tendon.
Part 2 involves progressing the exercises. We feel a large missing part of many rehab programs is the progression to more heavily loaded programs. It is important to actually get the tendon stronger, not just do 3 sets of 10 band exercises.
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