The shoulder joint is called the glenohumeral joint.  It is the articulation of the top of the humerus bone with the glenoid fossa of the shoulder blade.  It is one of the most complex and most mobile joints in the body.  In fact, shoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal disorder, following low back and neck pain (Donatelli).   Because of the mechanical demands placed on the shoulder, it is susceptible to numerous soft-tissue injuries.   One of these injuries is called shoulder impingement syndrome.  It is the result of compression of the soft tissues between the top of the humerus and the undersurface of the acromion process of the shoulder blade.  The most commonly traumatized soft tissue is the rotator cuff tendon.  Impingement results from the cumulative stresses of repetitive shoulder motion such as pitching or sustained overhead activity such as painting a ceiling.  This repetitive stress can lead to tendonitis, rotator cuff tears, bone spurs, or bursitis.

Your physician may classify the syndrome as either a primary or secondary impingement.  A primary impingement is caused by the structural anatomy of the area below the acromial process.  Your physician may determine through X-ray that you have an abnormal variation in the shape of your acromion process.  A type 3 “hooked” acromion makes you more susceptible to impingement and this may require surgical intervention to correct.  On the other hand, a secondary impingement is mostly the result of dysfunctional biomechanics of the shoulder joint.  It may be due to weakness of the rotator cuff muscles, poor posture, shoulder joint stiffness, and/or incoordination/weakness of the scapular stabilizing muscles.  So how do we treat shoulder impingement syndrome at OrthoWell ?   Click on the “How do we treat?” link, and click on shoulder impingement syndrome.

“I play tennis and developed pain in my shoulder so strong that I could not even sleep, let alone play!  After the very first treatment (ART combined with joint mobilization) 80% of my pain was gone!  I am practically pain free now after 4 visits.  Thank-you Chris!  Great job!” – DK