Shoulder impingement is a common diagnosis and source of shoulder pain.  It can occur in someone 15 years old, 65 years old, or anyone in between.  Shoulder impingement typically occurs in the dominant arm of active individuals, especially in those performing overhead activities (eg. baseball, volleyball, tennis, weight lifting, swimming). 

Shoulder impingement is an event in the shoulder where the rotator cuff tendon (supraspinatus) and bursa get pinched between the ball of the upper arm and the tip of shoulder blade (acromion). This typically causes pain when you raise the arm above 90* (shoulder height). Many factors can lead to an impingement: postural changes such as tight pecs, stiff thoracic spine, and stiff shoulders…and/or…the lower traps, middle traps, and serratus anterior may be weak, diminishing the ability of the shoulder blade to rotate upward and “get out of the way” of the upper arm.

Many studies highlight the effectiveness of physical therapy to treat shoulder pain related to impingement. Check out this video we produced with Dr. Scott Rand of Methodist Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine at Willowbrook.