Shoulder pain can be coming from the joints, muscles, tendons, or ligaments not only on the shoulder itself, but the surrounding anatomy as well. First, it is most important to assess joint mobility, muscular integrity, and strength, and finally how the shoulder girdle functions as a whole.

Once the root of the shoulder pain is discovered, we focus on the leading cause of the pain with manual intervention, whether it is soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, or the use of tools such as dry needling and/or cupping. Following manual intervention, we focus on strengthening and neuromuscular re-education in order to help break the bad habits that have led to said shoulder pain and help the muscles function more efficiently.

Once the pain has been managed, the next goal is to focus on mobility of the shoulder before proceeding to functional movement patterns and strengthening in order to return the patient to a prior level of function, if not better than they were before. Patients will also be educated on the development of a home exercise program in order to become independent with the continuum of care following discharge.