Need Shoulder Pain Treatment near Harleysville? We Can Help

September 30, 2020

If you are looking for shoulder pain treatment near Harleysville, the information below will help you make a better decision as well as help you avoid unnecessary and expensive healthcare treatment.

Seven Medical Diagnoses that Cause Shoulder Pain

There are seven common diagnoses that cause shoulder pain. These usually respond very well to physical therapist directed treatment, and therefore can potentially be corrected before they get worse. They are:

Shoulder Impingement
Shoulder Tendinitis
Rotator Cuff Tears
Subacromial Bursitis
Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)
Calcific Tendinitis
Shoulder Dislocation

Do You Need an MRI? Here’s What You Need to Know

Before you go down the path of expensive imaging studies like MRI and CT scans, you should know that these types of tests often produce false positives. What this means is that the image might show something, but a) it might not be the source of your pain or b) you might not necessarily need surgery because of it.

To illustrate this point, consider the conclusion of this study and this article published in the NY Times:

Magnetic resonance imaging identified a high prevalence of tears of the rotator cuff in asymptomatic individuals. These tears were increasingly frequent with advancing age and were compatible with normal, painless, functional activity. The results of the present study emphasize the potential hazards of the use of magnetic resonance imaging scans alone as a basis for the determination of operative intervention in the absence of associated clinical findings. Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7822341

In this example, the pitchers were not injured and had no pain. But the MRI’s found abnormal shoulder cartilage in 90 percent of them and abnormal rotator cuff tendons in 87 percent. “If you want an excuse to operate on a pitcher’s throwing shoulder, just get an MRI,” Dr. Andrews says.
Reference: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/health/mris-often-overused-often-mislead-doctors-warn.html

What to Do First – See One of Our Shoulder Treatment Experts near Harleysville

If you are experiencing shoulder pain, you shouldn’t try to self-diagnose the problem. Our specialists can help. In almost all of the patients we see, hands-on physical therapy is the treatment that you should try first. The advantages of seeing one of our physical therapy experts are as follows:

No waiting – In most cases, you can see us right away,
No side effects – In most cases, the treatment we provide has little to no side effects and can make you feel much better.
It’s more affordable and less painful than tests, injections, or surgery.
Faster relief – See one of our physical therapists right away. Quickly alleviate pain and avoid additional doctor visits, saving time and money.
Seeing one of our physical therapists first means you are less likely to need addictive opioid drugs.

How Our Shoulder Specialists will Care for You

We want to make sure that we are providing you with the appropriate treatment. Here is what to expect:

You receive an in-depth initial evaluation where we ask you about your pain, medical history, and current condition.
We provide a detailed physical exam looking at movement, strength, flexibility, soft tissues and nerves of the neck, shoulder blade, shoulder joints, and arm.
You’ll receive a personalized plan of care to meet your goals.
Patient education – learn causes and solutions to your issue and help prevent future recurrences.
Manual Therapy – hands-on techniques for pain relief and to restore mobility.
Neuromuscular Reeducation to address restrictions, weakness, and range of motion.
A Home Program – we teach you what you can do to optimize healing at home as well.
Modalities – specific treatments to address your pain if needed.

See One of Our Experienced Shoulder Professionals Right Away

Physical therapist directed care is proven to be an effective treatment approach for the shoulder conditions described above. For more information, visit our contact page. We look forward to helping you.

Same-day/Next-Day Appointments are Available.