4 Steps To Return To Play
Are you baseball player with a shoulder injury? How about a volleyball player with shoulder pain? Or, could you possibly be an ex-athlete with a long history of chronic shoulder issues?
Research has shown that conservative care for shoulder pain is highly successful, when addressed properly. In order to provide the best care, a thorough examination including a detailed patient history is vital to ensure the best management. Between using SFMA, DNS, and orthopedic testing, we are able to get a clear picture of what could be causing shoulder dysfunction.
After the exam, there are 4 specific steps to returning to play, or simply your daily living, pain free. At Integrated Health Solutions, we strive to stay up-to-date on what evidence is indicating to be the best form of treatment. Here is a little taste of what we do, each visit, to get patients as close to 100% function as we can!
- Phase 1: Reduce inflammation and pain using the following techniques:
- Acupuncture Dry Needling
- Active Release Soft Tissue
- Mobilizations
- Cryotherapy (that’s right, cry has been proven to help reduce joint inflammation!)
- Phase 2: Re-establish the Body’s Natural Muscle Balance
- Help restore the body’s natural range of motion
- Wake up the shoulder stabilizers
- Encourage joint centration
- Begin conditioning shoulder musculature
- Phase 3: Once full range of motion has been achieved, it’s time to get aggressive with rehab!
- Introduce sport-specific exercises
- Increase power and endurance
- Phase 4: If range of motion is restored, and the patient is out of pain – time to return to play!
- In other words, by this point in the treatment plan, it is our goal to empower you to go on with your normal activities and how to manage your own care.
Those phases might seem simple, but through a well-researched, well-practiced approach, we address specific muscles and movements seen to have an affect on the shoulder. By looking muscles outside of those directly involved with the rotator cuff itself, we are able to get to the root of the problem rather than just masking the symptoms. For example, we assess the posterior capsule, pectorals minor, latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior, and many, many more.
To get a better picture of how we successfully manage countless shoulder cases, no matter how long the duration of pain and dysfunction, come see us at Integrated Health Solutions!
Content provided by Dr. Jen Brenneisen
Citation: Stone, M. A., Jalali, O., Alluri, R. K., Diaz, P. R., Omid, R., Gamradt, S. C., … Weber, A. (2018). Nonoperative Treatment For Injuries To The In-Season Throwing Shoulder: A Current Concepts Review With Clinical Commentary. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 13(2), 306–320. doi: 10.26603/ijspt20180306
