Rotator Cuff Injury – Test, Diagnostic & Treatment

Rotator Cuff it’s a group of 4 muscles that connects to the humerus (upper arm) & scapula (shoulder blade), working together in stabilizing & rotating the shoulder.

These muscles are:

Teres Minor
Infraspinatus
Supraspinatus
Subscapularis

Each of these muscles have an origin point at the scapula and an insertion point on the humerus.
Limitations in different movements suggest different problems. If a doctor/physiotherapist can move your arm fully, but you can’t (because of weakness), a rotator cuff tear is possible.

Painful Arc test: Pain that is elicited when raising the arm beyond 90 degrees as the arm moves away from the body and toward the side. This can indicate any one of several different problems with the shoulder.

Physical therapy: Various exercises can improve flexibility and strength of the other muscles in the rotator cuff. This increased strength can help compensate for a rotator cuff problem.

Occupational therapy: Similar to physical therapy, occupational therapy for rotator cuff injuries focuses on daily tasks that require shoulder movements.

If you feel like you are having shoulder movement limitation and pain, get in touch with a physiotherapist and have checked out, as it could create a great deal of problems in time, including “frozen shoulder”, neck pain, front and back of upper arm nagging and disturbed sleeping patterns.

Tennis / Golfer Elbow & Physiotherapy Treatment

Tennis Elbow or Golfer Elbow is an injury to the muscles in the forearm, muscles responsible for extending the wrist & fingers.
It affects the lateral epicondyle of the humerus where the muscles in the forearm are attached via tendons.

Symptoms

Pain when performing gripping tasks
Pain when resisting fingers/wrist extension
Some may feel pain & stiffness in the neck as a sign of nerve irritation

Tennis Elbow Treatment

Physiotherapy has been shown to be effective in the short and long-term management of tennis elbow.

Physiotherapy aims to achieve a:

Reduction of elbow pain.
Facilitation of tissue repair.
Restoration of normal joint range of motion and function.
Restoration of normal muscle length, strength and movement patterns.
Normalisation of your upper limb neurodynamics.
Normalisation of cervical joint function.

There are many ways to achieve these and, following a thorough assessment of your elbow, arm and neck, your physiotherapist will discuss the best strategy for you to use based on your symptoms and your lifestyle. Results are typically measured through patient feedback and measurement of pain-free grip strength.

Physiotherapy treatment can include gentle mobilisation of your neck and elbow joints, electrotherapy, elbow kinesio taping, muscle stretches, neural mobilisations, massage and strengthening.

Untreated Tennis Elbows can last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. You are also prone to recurrence.

Studies have shown physiotherapy to be the most effective way of managing Tennis Elbow when compared to steroid injections or giving of advice alone. In a recent study,

When given a 6/8 week course of physiotherapy comprising of 8/10 treatment sessions, most patients show significant improvement after 3 weeks, increasing to a 60% or greater recovery after 6 weeks of treatment. This improvement is shown to continue to around a 90% improvement at 12 months, even without further treatment.

Stress Responses To Massage Therapy

Stress can be described as the body’s reaction to stressors, which can disturb the body’s physiological equilibrium (homeostasis).

The psychogenic effects of massage involve the emotions, as experienced or expressed by the individual.

Massage has a very significant effect on the emotional state of the person and, in turn, on the emotional behaviour.
The cumulative effect of relaxation, originating in the muscles and extending to the whole person, is to create a change in the patient’s emotional state.
One primary transformation is that inner feelings of tension and anxiety are replaced by calmness and tranquillity.

As a result of these positive adjustments, other inner emotions such as depression and anger may also abate.
In turn, the emotional behavioural responses will become less severe or may disappear totally.

The outcome is a decrease in heart rate, lowering of blood pressure, improved breathing, enhanced circulation, improved digestion and so forth.
Muscles will also register this change, and relaxation becomes deeper & more permanent.

Trigger Point Therapy

What is Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy?

Myofascial trigger points, also known as trigger points, are described as tight area deep within the muscle fibres, causing pain in other parts of the body.

For example, a trigger point in the back may cause pain in the neck area which can also become a satellite trigger point, referring pain in the head.

Trigger Point Massage Therapy is designed to reduce the pain through a series of thumb pressure applied to the source area, followed by local tissue stretching and manipulation.
The client usually is active in this practice through deep breathing as well as helping us identify the exact location and source of the pain itself.
As a result of this type of massage, the pain should ease down, movement constrictions reduced, blood flow increase in that area, therefore the body could go through the process of repairing the damaged tissue.