Symptoms of shoulder arthrosis

Symptoms of shoulder arthrosis are painful restrictions of movement, especially during rotational and lifting movements of the arm. As a result, the patient often avoids using evasive mechanisms or falls into a relieving posture, which can result in overloading other structures. Tension in the shoulder neck area is often the result.

The movement in the shoulder joint itself is unconsciously avoided and the entire shoulder girdle is moved to lift the arm. It can also lead to acute inflammation of the surrounding structures. The bursa in the shoulder or the tendons of the rotator cuff are often affected.

In most cases, the patient initially experiences so-called “starting pain“, which can be improved by slight movements. Later on, pain occurs during exercise or even pain at rest. The movement in the joint is progressively lost.

Physiotherapy for shoulder arthrosis

In the physiotherapeutic treatment of shoulder arthrosis, an attempt is made to maintain the mobility of the joint as far as possible, to relieve pain and to minimise the need for protective mechanisms and evasive movements. Initially, physiotherapy should give the patient a feeling for the movement of his shoulder. Exercises should be practiced several times in front of a mirror until they can be safely performed by the patient independently.

When does movement take place in my shoulder joint?
When do I start using an evasion mechanism?
How does the correctly performed mobilization exercise feel?

Furthermore, in physiotherapy for shoulder arthrosis, the mobilisation of the joint can be carried out using manual therapeutic techniques. Here, the therapist grasps the joint as close as possible and, if the cartilage is still intact, can slide the joint surfaces against each other. In this way, the cartilage is better supplied and synovial fluid is produced and adhesions can be loosened.
In osteoarthritis, the cartilage is worn out. In order to relieve the bone, manual traction treatments can also be pleasant. The joint surfaces are minimally distanced from each other by a slight traction.

This is often perceived as pain-relieving.
Another focus of physiotherapy for shoulder arthrosis is the treatment of the surrounding soft tissues. The tendons of the rotator cuff can be irritated by bony attachments or inflammatory conditions. These can be treated by selective massage techniques (transverse friction).
Tension and adhesions in the shoulder neck area can be relieved by fascial techniques or massage grips. Trigger point therapy is also suitable. Particularly helpful in the shoulder neck area is the so-called functional soft tissue treatment, in which the joint is mobilized while the tense muscles are treated manually.

Often passive stretching of the neck muscles is also pleasant and relieves pain.
Passive mobilization of the shoulder blade is another method to improve mobility in the shoulder joint and to promote mobilization of the sliding bearing of the shoulder blade on the trunk. It also loosens the muscles that fix and move the shoulder blade. The passive mobilization of the arm is rarely performed, but can be pleasant in the event of severe pain. The therapy can be supplemented by the application of tape bandages or physical therapy forms. Heat application or cold therapy are particularly pleasant in acute irritations.