Physiotherapy in Parktown North
Shoulder pain that catches, aches or will not lift
The shoulder trades stability for range, which is why it is so often the joint that complains first — in swimmers, tennis and padel players, people who lift, and people who have simply spent a year at a laptop.
Does this sound familiar
Shoulder problems patients arrive with
- A painful arc when lifting the arm out to the side or overhead
- Pain lying on the shoulder at night
- Shoulder pain from swimming, racquet sports, gym work or throwing
- A shoulder that has steadily become stiffer for no obvious reason
- Weakness or pain after a fall onto an outstretched arm
- Rehabilitation after rotator cuff repair or other shoulder surgery
What happens
How this is treated
Every patient is different, but the shape of the work is consistent — and you will always be told what is happening and why.
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Step 1
Assessment
Range, strength, the shoulder blade, the neck — neck problems often refer pain to the shoulder — and the specific movement that provokes it.
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Step 2
Settle the pain
Load adjusted, hands-on treatment and taping or dry needling where they help, with a plan for training or work in the meantime.
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Step 3
Load the cuff progressively
Structured strengthening of the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles, which is the core of treatment for most shoulder pain.
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Step 4
Back to the overhead work
The stroke, the serve, the press or the shelf — rebuilt in the positions you actually need.
Worth knowing
Most shoulder pain is a loading problem
The most common cause of shoulder pain in adults is the rotator cuff — the four small muscles and tendons that keep the ball centred in the socket. What used to be called “impingement” is now generally understood as a cuff that is irritated and under-strength for what it is being asked to do, rather than something being pinched that needs shaving away.
That matters, because the research comparing exercise with surgery for this kind of shoulder pain has repeatedly found a properly progressed exercise programme to be a serious treatment in its own right. For many people it is the treatment, not a holding pattern before an operation.
Worth knowing
Frozen shoulder is different
A shoulder that steadily loses movement in every direction, including being moved by someone else, may be a frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis). It is more common between about forty and sixty and in people with diabetes, and it typically runs a long course — often well over a year from start to finish.
Physiotherapy helps manage the pain and keep the movement that can be kept, and the approach changes with the stage it is in. Knowing what you are dealing with early saves a great deal of frustration.
Worth knowing
How long does a shoulder take?
Rotator cuff related pain commonly needs around six to twelve weeks of consistent loading to show its full benefit, and a frozen shoulder is measured in months. Post-surgical shoulders follow the surgeon’s protocol — often three to six months for a cuff repair.
Before you book
Questions patients ask about this
Often not at first. Ultrasound and MRI frequently show cuff changes in shoulders that are not painful, so a scan does not always explain the pain. It is most useful after a significant injury, with marked weakness, or when the shoulder is not improving as expected.
Usually yes, in a modified form. The provoking movement is reduced or changed while the rest of your training continues, and the shoulder is loaded back up deliberately rather than rested and hoped for.
Sometimes. Pain at the top of the shoulder or down the arm can come from the neck, which is why the assessment checks both. See neck and back pain.
Yes, following your surgeon’s protocol. See post-operative rehabilitation for what a rotator cuff repair recovery usually looks like.
Also treated here
Related to this
Post-operative rehab
The weeks after surgery decide the result.
Read more about Post-operative rehabNeck & back pain
The ache that has been there for months, and the one that arrived overnight.
Read more about Neck & back painNext step
Book an appointment
Book online at any hour, or send a WhatsApp if you would rather describe the problem first and be told honestly whether physiotherapy is the right call.