Experiencing a shoulder injury can sometimes feel debilitating. This is especially the case when it's causing you pain and discomfort that limits your movement. If you don't want to turn to medications and surgery, there are alternatives you can explore. Here are some worth considering.
Dry Needling
Dry needling is usually used alongside other forms of physical therapy. It involves inserting needles into trigger points and problematic muscles that are affecting your shoulder. For example, the person delivering your therapy may target bands that are tight. With the right approach, dry needling can loosen those bands and make it easier for you to move your shoulder. This can reduce discomfort in the short term and may make it easier to engage in physiotherapy during your recovery.
Shockwave Therapy
Sometimes the shoulder pain you experience can be due to tendinitis. This is a condition where inflammation of the tendon makes it difficult for you to move the affected joint. Calcification of your tendons can also make it difficult for you to move your shoulder, resulting in a painful catching feeling when you elevate it. Shockwave therapy stimulates greater blood flow to the area, which can then reduce inflammation. It also boosts your metabolism, which results in a faster healing process.
Exercise
As the old saying goes, if you don't use it, you lose it. Providing you exercise your shoulder under the guidance of a physiotherapist, you stand to benefit from a faster healing process and reduced pain. Exercising your shoulder gives you the chance to gently knit your muscles back together. It also boosts your range of mobility and strengthens your joints. Over time, this can result in less pain and an easier time engaging with your daily activities. If your physiotherapist prescribes exercises for you to engage in at home, stick to them religiously.
Massage
Many people enjoy a good massage. With the right approach, your massage therapist can reduce the pain in your shoulder and promote healing processes. Massage usually relaxes tight muscles, which then results in less pain as you use them. It's also a useful adjunct for exercise, as it can improve your range of mobility and make it easier for you to engage with healing exercises. It may also stimulate greater blood flow to the area, which in itself promotes healing. Ask your physiotherapist about using tools such as massage guns at home so that you can enjoy the benefits of this approach between appointments.
Contact a physiotherapy clinic to learn more about shoulder injury treatments.
In a lot of cases, when people talk about health risks, they focus on them in terms of life or death. For example, people often say if you smoke that you're more likely to have a heart attack or get lung cancer, and that is true. However, those aren't the only things you should focus on. You should also focus on how that habit impacts your life. To continue with the smoking example, it can also be embarrassing and expensive. It can make it harder to do physical activities, and it makes your clothing smell. This blog looks at health in that vein. Rather than narrowly focusing on life and death, these posts look at what you can do to make your life more enjoyable through being healthy.