Therapeutic Ultrasound for the Shoulder: Is there evidence?

THERAPEUTIC ULTRASOUND IN THE TREATMENT OF SHOULDER CONDITIONS: IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE?  Perhaps one of the most grossly overused and potentially misrepresented modalities used on patients is ultrasound.  Unfortunately, many of my PT colleagues use this a ton and the chiropractic community abuses it as well.  Little evidence supports its use.  The FDA has approved [...]

What to do about shoulder pain when weight lifting.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT SHOULDER PAIN WHEN WEIGHT LIFTING  I have a good friend of mine who is in pretty good shape and has a long history of regular exercise.  Not a meathead by any means, just a guy that likes to workout regularly and stay in shape.  He said recently that he was having [...]

Ever had pain turning the steering wheel or tucking in your shirt?

PAIN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AND PAIN TUCKING IN MY SHIRT…TWO RECENT COMPLAINTS  I recently got asked these two questions over the phone by people.  These are always tricky questions to answer because there are several things that it could be.  First of all with the steering, more than likely the rotator cuff is jamming [...]

Interesting rotator cuff study, hot off the press!!

One of the more hotly contested topics in orthopedics is whether or not to repair a rotator cuff tear in the older population. Some people manage just fine without having a repair. It is generally accepted that with each passing decade of life, repair of the rotator cuff becomes increasingly difficult. Furthermore, many studies have [...]

To repair or not to repair the rotator cuff?

To repair or not to repair:  Case study on a rotator cuff tear in an elderly male  I recently had a case where an elderly gentleman (late 60’s, early 70’s) had a confirmed rotator cuff tear on MRI but managed just fine with physical therapy.  This man tore his cuff while fly fishing.  He tripped [...]

What to do about young athletes who are multi-sport athletes?

WHAT TO DO ABOUT YOUNG ATHLETES WHO ARE MULTI-SPORT ATHLETES  It’s amazing to me how we have year round sports being played.  Young athletes are playing their sport in season and then either jump to another sport or begin “off season” camps or travel teams.  There truly is no off season anymore.  Because there is [...]

What is (GIRD) and how does the sleeper stretch help?

GLENOHUMERAL INTERNAL ROTATION DEFICIT (GIRD) AND THE SLEEPER STRETCH When dealing with the shoulder and shoulder problems, particularly in athletes but not uncommon in non-athletes, there can be a loss of internal rotation of the shoulder (you need to internally rotate to tuck in your shirt in back, or to fasten/unfasten a bra). There is [...]

Strength Training for Young Athletes

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR THE YOUNG ATHLETE AND THE SHOULDER  A baseball coach for a local high school inquired about a shoulder program for baseball players.  He mentioned that they are doing the “usual stuff” – lat pull downs, bench pressing, military presses.  He asked if they should be doing anything else.  Boy, should they ever!  [...]

Impingement Syndrome

What is Impingement Syndrome? Well, first we have to decide what kind you have. Primary impingement is basically irritation of your rotator cuff and/or the bursa in your shoulder. The bursa is kind of like a water balloon. It’s there to cushion the rotator cuff and acts as a “buffer” between the humerus (where the cuff [...]