What is Impingement Syndrome?
Impingement Syndrome is used to describe pain in various parts around your shoulder. You will often present with shoulder pain that is worsened with overhead activities. Often, impingement syndrome Is caused from a job that requires a lot of overhead activities or cause from repetitive sports related activities.
Where will I feel tenderness if I have Impingement Syndrome?
This all depends! The site of tenderness varies depending on the site of impingement. Subacromial impingement cause tenderness and pain at the ANTERIOR joint of the shoulder, near the bicep tendon insertion point or under the AC joint. This is where many patients that come into the clinic present with pain. Bicep tendonitis is another condition that will have this spot of tenderness as well. POSTERIOR joint tenderness suggests impingement of the infraspinatus or teres minor tendons.
Medical illustration of areas of pain and inflammation from shoulder impingement syndrome. Skeleton visible under transparent skin. 3D render with DOF, retouching and drawing. Adobe RGB.
How do I treat this?
The long-term goal for treatment of this syndrome is to stabilize the shoulder with a progressive rehabilitation program, stretching of the posterior shoulder capsule, and modification of sports or work activities. Pectoral stretching and scapula retraction exercises are something our Physical Therapists here would love to help with! Doorway pectoral stretches are one at-home way to get a good stretch in! If you participate in a lot of overhead activities and are experiencing some shoulder pain while performing these activities, you may have impingement syndrome. Our Physical Therapists, Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, and Massage Therapists here at Elevation Chiropractic & Wellness will do everything they can to get you healed up and back on track in your lives!