Shoulder & Arm Pain in Putney

Shoulders are misleading. A good proportion of the shoulder pain we see doesn't originate in the shoulder at all. It comes from the neck and upper back, and the shoulder is simply where you feel it.

Which is why treating only the painful bit so often disappoints.

What We See Most

Shoulder stiffness and restriction, the kind where you notice it reaching into the back seat of the car. Rotator cuff complaints. Pain that spreads down into the upper arm. Pins and needles or numbness travelling into the hand. Elbow pain that turns out to be connected to a problem further up in the neck or upper back.

Two causes come up constantly. Sleeping on one side for years. And desk work, where one arm sits slightly forward on a mouse for eight hours a day, five days a week, for a decade.

How We Assess It

We test the shoulder, then we test the neck, then we look at how the two work together. Range of movement, strength, and where exactly the pain reproduces.

If the pain is referred from the neck, treating the shoulder in isolation is a waste of your money. Finding that out takes one appointment.

Treatment

Hands-on work on the joints and soft tissue of the shoulder, neck and upper back, depending on what the assessment found. Then home exercises, plus practical changes to whatever is feeding it, which is frequently a desk setup or a sleeping position.

We'll be realistic about timescales. Shoulders are slower than backs. Anyone promising you a fast result on a stiff shoulder is guessing.

When it Isn't Us

Frozen shoulder runs a long course and no treatment shortens it dramatically, so we'll tell you that rather than sell you a plan. A significant rotator cuff tear needs imaging and possibly a surgical opinion.

And shoulder or arm pain that arrives with chest tightness, breathlessness or jaw pain is not a musculoskeletal problem. Call 999.

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