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ShoulderHealth In Motion offers multiple locations in Wisconsin, with an additional location in Western Pennsylvania.

Shoulder pain can arise from within the shoulder joints and surrounding muscles, ligaments and tendons. On occasion, it is caused by a problem within the shoulder that worsens when you move it. Shoulder pain that isn’t worsened by moving your shoulder is more likely to be something called “referred pain,” which is caused by diseases or conditions affecting structures in your chest or abdomen. If shoulder pain is accompanied by difficulty breathing or a sense of tightness in the chest, please seek immediate medical attention as it may be a symptom of heart attack.

Rotator Cuff

Your rotator cuff is made up of the muscles and tendons in your shoulder. These muscles and tendons connect your upper arm bone with your shoulder blade. They also help center the ball of your upper arm bone firmly in your shoulder socket. The combination results in the greatest range of motion of any joint in your body. Imaging changes in your rotator cuff are very normal, even in pain free shoulders! In one study, (Prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic rotator cuff tears in the general population: From mass-screening in one village – ScienceDirect), about 2/3 of all full thickness rotator cuff tears were without symptoms. In addition, more than 1/3 of all people in one group had rotator cuff tears. The good news is that despite a full thickness rotator cuff tear, many people recover without surgery and return to very good, functional use of their shoulder.

Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition characterized by stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. If your arm hurts while moving your neck, if you have shoulder pain which extends below the elbow, or you have numbness somewhere in your arm, you could have neck related arm pain. Your physical therapist will help you determine not only what area of your neck is likely involved, but specifically how to calm the nerves in your neck and arm as well as how to manage symptoms to promote fitness.

Information courtesy of the American Physical Therapy Association.

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Shoulder Physical Therapy Locations

Antigo

720 Ackley St.
Antigo, WI 54409
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Crandon

501 W. Lincoln St.
Crandon, WI 54520
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Eagle River

528 Hwy 70 W.
Eagle River, WI 54521
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Hayward

15969 Railroad Street
Hayward, WI 54843
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Marshfield

204 North Central Avenue
Marshfield, WI 54449
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Merrill

500 S. Center Ave.
Merrill, WI 54452
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New Castle

2656 Ellwood Rd.
Ste #110
New Castle, PA 16101
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Rhinelander

586 Shepard St.
Rhinelander, WI 54501
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Spooner

314 Service Road
Spooner, WI 54801
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Tomahawk

1509 N. 4th St.
Tomahawk, WI 54487
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Wausau

930 S. 17th Ave
Wausau, WI 54401
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Physical therapy should not be severely painful. It is not common to be so sore that patients are in pain or it affects their daily life. If this ever happens during or after an appointment, let us know and we will adapt your program.

  • We recommend budgeting 40-60 minutes for a typical therapy session. The only exception to this will be your first visit, which can take about 20 minutes longer due to the physical therapy evaluation your therapist will provide. We also recommend showing up about 10-15 minutes early to your first visit. This way, you can complete the paperwork before your visit time and streamline the process.

  • A physical therapy visit lasts about 40-60 minutes. The actual contents of the visit vary based on your diagnosis/need, but typically what happens is:

    1. You check in with the receptionist and we discuss your health insurance benefits with you.
    2. You go into a room for initial evaluation. We discuss what is going on, where the pain is coming from, and how the pain has been since the last visit or before your first visit.
    3. You go into the gym. You can change clothes if you need to, then begin therapy.
    4. You perform exercises and stretches which may include therapeutic band exercises, light body weight exercises, or minimal weights. The stretches will promote strength, stability, improved range of motion, and pain relief.
    5. We can initiate other techniques to include spinal manipulation, joint mobilization, taping, cupping, dry needling and the Neubie as needed.
    6. The therapist makes recommendations based on your progress. These can include altering the frequency of visits, make any appointments necessary, making additions/alterations to your home exercise plan, or things to do before your next visit.
  • You should wear loose clothes that make it easy to move. We also recommend sneakers. Workout clothes will work, but any comfortable clothing will work fine. Plan on giving your therapist access to your area of concern. The less your clothes restrict your movement and the more comfortable you are, the better. Shorts or athletic/loose fitting pants and a tee shirt are all good options.

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