Choice PT: Shoulder, Elbow and Wrist Pain

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DR. LUCY SIMONE, PT, DPT Getting To Know The Choice Physical Therapy Team!

Background/Education Lucy originally grew up in Dutchess County, NY. She graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Biology, then went on to complete her Doctorate of Physical Therapy studies at The Sage Colleges here in Troy, NY. Throughout her schooling, Lucy actively worked and shadowed at outpatient physical therapy practices to gain experience and expertise in this practice setting. As part of her Doctoral requirements, she spent time in outpatient, sub-acute, and skilled nursing settings for her clinical rotations. Lucy also worked extensively with people with Parkinson’s Disease for her doctoral thesis research.

Area of Expertise Lucy’s clinical interests include, but are not limited to, orthopedic and sports-related injuries, neurological impairments, and post-operative rehabilitation. In the future, she plans to pursue a board certification in a specialized area of practice. Personal Lucy enjoys keeping active and spending time with family and friends. When she is not training for a race or hiking an Adirondack high peak, she can be found eating local Troy cuisine and playing with dogs.

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Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life

YOUR COMPLEX SHOULDER

Happy October everyone!

One of the structures that takes the brunt of that extra load: the rotator cuff. Also known as the “rotor cuff” or “rotor cup”. Just kidding, it’s not known as either of those, just the rotator cuff which is made up of four separate muscles. Each of the four muscles can be found on your shoulder blade, they then wrap around to the front of your shoulder. Collectively, their role is to work together as a team to keep the ball of your shoulder centered in the socket of your shoulder blade. Let’s tie it all together. Say that your shoulder blade isn’t able to move freely because one of your collar bone joints isn’t doing it’s job. Every time you reach into the cupboard to grab your coffee mug your rotator cuff is working extra hard to keep the ball of your shoulder centered in the socket. This goes on for weeks but your body’s good at compensating so you don’t notice. Now comes the weekend where the living room need’s to be repainted. Guess who’s probably going to wake up Monday morning with a sore shoulder that “just came out of the blue”? All of a sudden your “rotor cup” problem can be traced back to a stiff collar bone joint. Wondering how your shoulder joints and rotator cuff are working? Give me a call or email me and I’d be happy to test them out for you. Many times a few simple stretches can help make sure things keep moving the way they’re meant to!

Before we get too much raking and leaf bagging under our belts I thought it’d be a good time of year to share some information about shoulder health. Classically, when we hear about the shoulder we immediately think about the ball and socket joint (aka: glenohumeral joint for all of you brushing up on your anatomy). Instead of calling it the shoulder joint we should really think about it as the shoulder complex as it’s made up of four joints: 1. Sternoclavicular: where your collar bone meets your breast bone 2. Acromioclavicular: “AC Joint” where your collar bone meets your shoulder blade 3. Glenohumeral: ball & socket where your upper arm bone meets your shoulder blade 4. Scapulothoracic: a pseudo joint where your shoulder blade sits on your rib cage Each of those four joints is responsible for contributing to the overall motion that allows you to wash your hair, put on deodorant, scratch your back and put your seatbelt on. What happens then, if one of those four says “eh, I’m going to take a break” and stops doing it’s job? One or more of the other three joints is going to have to work harder to compensate for that loss. Usually, we can get away with that for a while but typically it becomes too much and that is where we can see injuries that just seem to “come out of the blue”… “I didn’t do anything different, my shoulder just started bothering me one day”…

Enjoy the fall season! Joe

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SHOULDER, ELBOW AND WRIST PAIN It’s “One Big Chain”

Every single day you use your arms to perform daily tasks whether it’s carrying groceries, turning the steering wheel in the car, reaching high up into the cabinet to grab a dish or picking your child up from the floor. The arm is a complex part of the body comprised of the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand that need to work in conjunction with each other maintain adequate, pain-free movement. When something starts to go wrong with the arm, we may experience pain as a warning signal to stop doing the activity! Where you may be experiencing pain though may not always be the direct cause of why you’re having that particular pain.

A good analogy for how the arm works is thinking of a linked chain and how each loop in the chain is interconnected. For example, if the red loop in the chain is “pulled” upward, then the force will influence each loop throughout the chain because of the interconnectedness throughout the chain. The arm works in the same manner in which the shoulder may compensate to ultimately cause an issue/s “down the chain” into the elbow, wrist or hand. Relating this back to pain being a signal, sometimes where the pain

So, what if that nagging elbow pain or “tennis elbow” is being caused by shoulder compensations? How about the carpal tunnel pain you’re experiencing could be helped with a few simple stretches incorporating areas “up the chain” such as the shoulder and elbow? Give us a call so we can help you get back to moving well and living life pain-free! Griffin

is occurring for example in the wrist (green loop), may be occurring because of compensations at the shoulder (red loop). Shoulder compensations could be altered movement patterns, strength, stability, etc. influencing different areas “down the chain”.

Exercise Essentials Try this movement if you are experiencing shoulder pain.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Strengthens Shoulder

www.simpleset.net

SERRATUS WALL SLIDES

Hands on wall at level of shoulder. Bring the tip of your shoulder blade forward and up into your armpit. Repeat 10 times.

Pre Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice zucchini lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet. Using 1/2 of the goat cheese, spread small amount into the zucchini and cover with marinara sauce. Drop dots of remaining cheese over the marinara, bake until cheese is soft and marinara is bubbling (about 20 minutes).

• Four medium-sized zucchinis • One 5oz log of goat cheese • 1-2 cups of marinara sauce • Chopped parsley

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“After breaking my shoulder blade from falling off a ladder, it was very difficult for me to move my arm and perform even the most simple of tasks. After my time with Sarah, I have gotten my full range of motion back to normal. I could not be more pleased with everyone here for their help and kindness. The atmosphere at Choice PT makes you feel completely comfortable. Thank you to everyone, but I hope I never have to see you again! – Chris C. I could not be more pleased with everyone here for their help and kindness.

506 Campbell Avenue Troy, New York 12180

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#Choose2GiveBack

In August, we were blown away by the participation in our school supply drive to benefit Carroll Hill Elementary School. We were able to collect 6 large bags full of supplies, including book bags, binders, tissues, baby wipes, and several other items listed on the schools website as supplies needed for each grade K-5. In addition to generous monetary donations and full class supply lists, our patients and staff did not disappoint. Principal Roy Stiles and Assistant Principal Joe Foglia were beyond appreciative of the donation and ensured all of the supplies would be dispersed to those students most in need. It was a pleasure getting to meet some of the staff and students at Carroll Hill and we look forward to partnering with this community for future campaigns.

Gratefully, Erin : )

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