Stop It Before It Starts: Simple Tips to Prevent Shoulder Pain

If you’ve ever suffered a shoulder injury, then you know how debilitating it can be. Not only are you experiencing persistent pain, but most shoulder injuries also restrict the range of motion in the joint, making day-to-day tasks — from grabbing a cup off the high shelf to brushing your hair — feel nearly impossible.

At Connecticut Physical Therapy Specialists, our team of physical therapists will work with you to identify and resolve the underlying causes of your shoulder pain. We offer acute pain relief and can guide you through complete shoulder rehabilitation regardless of whether or not you require surgery, and often, you can resolve a shoulder injury with physical therapy alone!

But that process can take a while, and we want to help you avoid shoulder injuries, too. While we do incorporate injury prevention information into our rehab programs, it’s never a bad time to start incorporating small changes into your routine that can help prevent shoulder pain.

If you’d like to learn more about how we help prevent and alleviate shoulder pain, call us to schedule an appointment today!

Staff Spotlight: Colin Bostic

Colin attended both the University of Connecticut and Eastern Connecticut State University where he played lacrosse. He has worked in a variety of positions throughout his post college years ranging from real estate to sales before joining his family’s business as the business manager in 2017. Outside of work Colin enjoys reading, being outdoors, and spending time with family.

What Causes Shoulder Pain and Injury, Anyway? 

Your shoulder is an incredibly complex ball-and-socket joint with several moving parts, including:

• Three separate bones: the humerus (arm bone), scapula (shoulder blade), and clavicle (collarbone)
• Cartilage that wraps and protects these bones from rubbing against each other
• The three main ligaments that connect your shoulder’s bones
• A collection of muscles and tendons known as the rotator cuff that wrap and support the shoulder joint
• Bursae: small fluid-filled sacs that protect your tendons

Damaging any of these structures can lead to shoulder pain, weakness, and immobility. Some people injure their shoulders through sudden, acute injuries, especially if they’re active — a hard fall on the football field could tear their rotator cuff or dislocate the arm bone out of their shoulder socket.

However, many shoulder injuries are actually overuse injuries, meaning the pain and immobility symptoms occur due to repeated micro-injuries in your shoulder’s tissue. Often, sports-related shoulder injuries are actually due to overuse, as repeated overhead motions (such as throwing a ball or certain swimming strokes) put stress on the shoulder joint, leading to symptoms. Using improper form can also contribute to overuse injuries, such as improper posture — a weak upper back strains your shoulder muscles, making them do more work than needed. 

Preventing shoulder pain is really about preventing these overuse injuries. By making small changes, you can keep your shoulders strong, healthy, and pain-free!

Welcome Laura, PT, DPT!

We’re excited to welcome Laura, PT, DPT, to the Connecticut Physical Therapy Specialists team!

Laura is a proud graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she earned both her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science (2017) and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy (2020). Dedicated to lifelong learning and clinical excellence, she is currently advancing her training through the Manual Therapy Institute to further sharpen her hands-on skills.

Laura brings a thoughtful and patient-centered approach to care, and her passion for helping others return to the activities they love is evident in everything she does.

When she’s not in the clinic, Laura stays active as a dedicated runner, finds inspiration through audiobooks, enjoys painting, and cherishes quality time with her family.

We’re thrilled to have Laura on board and can’t wait for our patients to benefit from her knowledge, compassion, and energy!