Shoulder problems are the 3rd most common cause of ‘Years lived with disability’. We all have a 70% chance of developing shoulder symptoms some time in our lifetime. 34% of people over the age of 65 experience shoulder pain, but 21-50% have no pain after 6 months. Half of those remaining have symptoms up to 1-3 years.
Many patients are having scans of their shoulders which show changes like rotator cuff tears, impingement, spurs etc. In actual fact many studies have been done on the average person and elite sportsmen who have NO SYMPTOMS AT ALL … and guess what? They all have the same findings on the scans – and some are still playing their high-level sports 5 years later – still with no symptoms. There is also no evidence to prove that your posture is causing your shoulder symptoms.
So the latest advice from the London Shoulder Clinic is to visit your physiotherapist FIRST. Most likely if you go for a scan it will show the ageing changes that we all have – but the symptoms are often blamed on the wrong structures. Have conservative Physiotherapy treatment initially, and diligently follow your exercise program. It often takes 3-6 months to become pain free. If you have no positive response with Physiotherapy, then we will refer you to the surgeon and he will then order a scan for you.
The new name for this condition is “Rotator Cuff Related Pain”.
