July 22nd, 2025
Shoulder pain is one of the most common problems that our team of therapists see among patients at ProMotion!
Many of the people that we see are very nervous about their shoulder when coming to their first appointment. Often times they are afraid that they might have a rotator cuff problem!
Rotator cuff injuries are the most common injury to the shoulder. Most people know someone who has had a rotator cuff injury, followed by surgery, followed by a long challenging recovery.
Thankfully most people do not need to follow that path!
This is the message we try and share with our patients on their first day with us.
A study was recently performed looking at the factors which lead patients to require a rotator cuff repair despite doing physical therapy first. In this study they followed 452 people with symptomatic, atraumatic, full thickness rotator cuff tears for 10 years. These are people who had shoulder pain, did not have a specific injury to cause the pain, and were found to have a tear through the rotator cuff tendon. In this study only 27% of the participants ended up having rotator cuff surgery, 73% of people in the study required no surgery at all!
The strongest predictor of what led people to choose surgery wasn’t the size of the cuff tear, or the pain levels. The biggest difference between people who needed surgery and those who recovered without it was the person's perception and expectations of physical therapy. People who went into physical therapy assuming they would need surgery and wouldn’t improve with physical therapy were far more likely to undergo surgery.
In addition to the progress that they made in physical therapy over the short term, there was also no regression in pain or function 10 years later. Physical therapy made lasting changes for these patients!
Shoulder pain can be complex in frequency and nature. An injury to that group of muscle is common and responds extremely well to physical therapy. Not only that, but expectations going into therapy play a huge role in the outcome.
We are excited to help you surpass your expectations and guild you through the process!
Journal: The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Section: Scientific Articles. Published: September 4, 2024; 106 (17): 1563. DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.23.00978
Back
- Recent Articles
- What Is Physical Therapy? A Beginner’s Guide for New Patients
- Physical Therapy for Tennis Elbow: A Guide to Recovery
- Rehabilitation After a Hip Fracture: The Role of Physical Therapy
- Physical Therapy for Improving Posture and Reducing Pain
- When to See a Physical Therapist for Knee Pain
