Are You Letting Your Shoulder Niggle Become A Nightmare?

It amazes me how long most patient’s report that they have been putting up with their shoulder pain while at the same time resting, avoiding usual activities, becoming less confident in their capacity and increasingly fearful about what arm use and movement might mean for them. I commonly hear from concerned patients that – “I’m afraid of doing further damage.” Yet most painful and weak shoulders, are just that. De-conditioned, neglected, weak…but still expected to perform at a high level, overhead, in the gym and at work. Increasingly, I find a growing gap between the activity demands being placed upon … Continue reading

Considering An Alternative to Subacromial Decompression Surgery?

You’d think that if you had been recommended shoulder surgery for subacromial ‘impingement’ pain that it would prove to be of superior benefit over and above all other treatment options. Makes sense, right? I mean, you’d think so wouldn’t you? But does it? Does surgery provide superior outcomes to specific shoulder physiotherapy for subacromial ‘impingement’ pain? Well, let’s see what the evidence that is freely available suggests… You’ll have to excuse my lack of Australian patient data but to illustrate my point I am using data from the NHS in the England. In the 2001, there were 2523 subacromial decompressions … Continue reading

Are You Getting Enough?

Sleep…I Mean. Shoulder pain can often cause you to have a disrupted and uncomfortable nights sleep, leading to fatigue, stress and anxiety about what is going on. In my experience, night time shoulder pain is common among those with bursitis and rotator cuff tendinopathy. There also seems to be some relationship between night pain and the overall severity of symptoms. It is often reported by my patients as an unrelenting night time ache, making lying on the affected side impossible without sleep disturbance. Would You Like To Get More? In this ABC interview you can listen to Dr Roger Allan … Continue reading

Miners Seek Shoulder Injury Treatment in the Big Smoke

Shoulder injuries amongst Queensland miners seems to be on the increase or at least it seems that way with an increase in work related shoulder injury referrals to Shoulder Guy Physiotherapy from miners across the state and even as far as PNG. Whether it be working with or near underground mining equipment, stepping off a long haul dump truck or securing a drilling rig in readiness to frack a coal seam; working in the mining industry can be and often is dangerous and (significant shoulder) injuries do happen. Thankfully, the majority of shoulder injuries we have seen directly related to … Continue reading