Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain, weakness and stiffness usually come from the rotator cuff, impingement, frozen shoulder or an unstable joint, and many shoulder problems improve with physical therapy alone. We restore motion, then build strength around the joint. Xcelerate Physical Therapy treats shoulder pain in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
The common causes of shoulder pain
Where the pain sits and what you cannot do tells us a lot about what is going on.
Rotator cuff tendinitis and rotator cuff tear
The rotator cuff is the group of tendons that lift and steady the arm. Rotator cuff tendinitis is irritation of those tendons, and a rotator cuff tear is damage that can be partial or complete. Weakness and trouble reaching are typical.
Impingement and shoulder bursitis
Shoulder impingement happens when tendons and the bursa are pinched as you lift the arm. Shoulder bursitis, inflammation of that cushioning sac, causes pain with reaching overhead.
Frozen shoulder
Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, makes the joint capsule tight and painful, and the shoulder loses motion in every direction.
Instability and tears of the labrum
A dislocated shoulder can leave the joint loose. A labral tear, including SLAP tears, causes catching, a feeling of the shoulder giving way and pain.
Pain at night and when you cannot lift your arm overhead
Shoulder pain at night is one of the most common complaints, because lying on the arm or lying flat compresses the sore tissue. If you feel you can’t lift my arm, or it hurts to reach into a cupboard, that points to the cuff or the joint capsule rather than the muscle alone.
We test how far the arm moves on its own and with help, how strong each cuff muscle is and how the shoulder blade moves, then match the plan to what we find.
How we treat the shoulder
Hands-on care
Manual therapy and joint mobilization restore motion, which matters most with frozen shoulder.
Rotator cuff strengthening
Graded exercises build the cuff and the muscles around it so the joint stays centered.
Scapular stabilization
A steadier shoulder blade gives the arm a better base to lift from.
When surgery makes sense
Some tears, repeated dislocations or shoulders that do not respond to a good trial of therapy may need surgery, and your surgeon makes that call. If you have it, we follow your surgeon’s protocol and guide your recovery through post-surgical rehab.
Neck problems can refer pain into the shoulder, so we look at Neck Pain too. Shoulder pain from throwing or overhead sport is covered under Sports Injury Rehab, and wear-and-tear changes under Arthritis & Joint Pain. Elbow pain from a tendon has its own page, Elbow Pain (Tennis & Golfer's Elbow).
Get medical help right away if
These are not for a physical therapy visit first.
- Sudden shoulder pain with chest pressure or shortness of breath
- A shoulder that looks out of place after a fall
- Severe pain with fever or a hot, swollen joint
In Pennsylvania you can see a physical therapist without a physician’s referral, but your insurance may require one: call the number on your insurance card to check, or call us before your first visit.
Shoulder pain care in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
Xcelerate Physical Therapy treats shoulder pain at our Newtown Square clinic, 214 S. Newtown Street Road.
In Pennsylvania you can see a physical therapist without a physician’s referral, but your insurance may require one: call the number on your insurance card to check, or call us before your first visit.
Meet the people who treat you on our team page.