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Shoulder pain physiotherapy in Edmonton
Shoulder pain sorts into a few patterns: painful but moving, genuinely stiff, unstable, or weak after trauma. Physiotherapy at our southeast Edmonton clinic starts by telling them apart, screens the neck every time, and builds treatment around progressive loading rather than rest.
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What does physiotherapy do for shoulder pain?
Shoulder problems sort into a small number of patterns, and telling them apart is most of the job. A shoulder that hurts but still moves behaves differently from one that has genuinely lost range, and both behave differently from one that feels unstable. Assessment establishes which you have, and treatment is almost always built around progressive loading rather than rest.
What we see most
These four cover the large majority of shoulder presentations. Pain referred from the neck is common enough that it is screened as part of every shoulder assessment.
Rotator cuff tendinopathyPain on reaching and lifting, and the loading work behind it.- Frozen shoulderGenuine loss of range in every direction, and its three stages.
- Shoulder impingementThe diagnosis that changed once the surgery built on it was tested.
- Shoulder dislocation and instabilityAfter a dislocation, or a shoulder that feels like it might go.
- AC joint injuryA sprain at the top of the shoulder, usually from landing on it
- Biceps tendinopathyPain at the front of the shoulder, in the tendon groove
- Rotator cuff tearPartial and full-thickness tears, and why many do not need surgery
How they are told apart
Night pain when rolling onto the shoulder is common across several of these, so on its own it does not narrow things down.
- Painful but moves — you can be moved through range even if it hurts. Points toward tendinopathy.
- Genuinely stiff — range is lost even when someone else moves the arm, particularly rotating outward. Points toward frozen shoulder.
- Unstable — a history of dislocation, or apprehension in particular positions. Points toward instability.
- Weak after trauma — real weakness rather than pain-limited weakness. Warrants imaging and a surgical opinion.
- Symptoms into the hand, or provoked by neck movement — points at the neck rather than the shoulder.
Why scans can mislead here
Rotator cuff changes, including partial tears, are found on the scans of large numbers of people with no shoulder pain, and the proportion climbs steadily with age. A finding on a scan is not automatically the source of your symptoms.
Imaging earns its place after significant trauma, where weakness suggests a full-thickness tear, or where a surgical decision is being made. Otherwise the assessment tells you more.
What treatment usually involves
Progressive loading of the rotator cuff and the muscles around the shoulder blade, started at a level the shoulder tolerates and stepped up over weeks. The evidence behind exercise for shoulder pain is reasonably strong.
Alongside that, adjusting what keeps provoking it — overhead work, sleep position, gym exercises — so the tendon gets a chance to adapt rather than being repeatedly irritated.
Shoulders are slow. Meaningful change usually takes several weeks of consistent loading, and reduced night pain is often the first thing to shift.
Questions people ask
Should I rest my shoulder?
Not completely. Rest deconditions the cuff and usually makes the return harder. The aim is to reduce the specific loads that flare it while continuing to use the arm.
I have a tear on my scan — do I need surgery?
Not automatically. Many partial tears respond to loading and are managed without surgery. Full-thickness tears after significant trauma, particularly with real weakness, are a different conversation.
How long will it take?
Weeks to months, depending on which problem it is. Frozen shoulder runs longest by some distance. Your physiotherapist should be able to tell you what they expect at assessment.
Why does my shoulder hurt at night?
Lying on the shoulder compresses the tendons and joint, and lying on the other side lets the arm hang forward and stretch them. Both are common triggers in rotator cuff and frozen shoulder problems. Pillow positioning is one of the first things addressed.
Is it frozen shoulder or rotator cuff?
Frozen shoulder limits movement in every direction, especially turning the arm out, even when someone else moves it for you. Rotator cuff problems are painful but usually retain passive range. The assessment distinguishes the two in a few minutes, and the treatments are quite different.
Can I book directly, or do I need to see my doctor first?
Book directly at (825) 525-2852. Alberta physiotherapists are direct-access. If your extended health plan needs a referral to reimburse you, that is a plan rule rather than a clinic one, and the front desk can tell you what your insurer asks for.
Book a shoulder assessment
Vertex Physiotherapy is at 6958 76 Ave NW #205, Edmonton, AB T6B 2R2. Call (825) 525-2852 or book online.