You Need To Consider Doing This If Your Shoulder Pain Is Not Improving With Pilates
Shoulder pain can be one of the most debilitating conditions, making simple tasks like lifting, reaching overhead, or even getting dressed feel like monumental challenges. Whether caused by muscle strain, rotator cuff injuries, arthritis, or other conditions, shoulder pain can interfere with your daily activities and severely reduce your quality of life.
The emotional toll of shoulder pain is just as significant as the physical discomfort. The constant struggle to manage the pain, coupled with the fear of it worsening, can lead to feelings of frustration, helplessness, and stress. If Pilates hasn’t provided lasting relief from your shoulder pain, it might be time to explore other options that address the root cause and offer more effective, long-term solutions.
Pilates: A Common Approach to Treating Shoulder Pain
Pilates is a low-impact exercise method that focuses on strengthening the core, improving flexibility, and promoting better posture. For many individuals with shoulder pain, Pilates can be effective in improving strength and flexibility around the shoulder joint, while also correcting posture and preventing further strain on the muscles and ligaments.
However, Pilates may not always provide the full relief that many people with shoulder pain need. If the pain is caused by underlying issues such as severe muscle tears, joint instability, or degenerative conditions, Pilates exercises alone may not be enough to provide lasting relief. For some individuals, the discomfort can return, leaving you feeling defeated and uncertain of your next steps.
Why Getting a Clear Diagnosis Is Crucial
Shoulder pain can stem from many causes. Here are five common causes of shoulder pain:
- Rotator Cuff Injury – Damage to the rotator cuff tendons, which help stabilize the shoulder, can lead to pain and limited movement.
- Bursitis – Inflammation of the bursa (a fluid-filled sac that cushions the shoulder joint) can cause swelling and pain.
- Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis) – A condition in which the shoulder becomes stiff and painful, making movement difficult.
- Osteoarthritis – Degeneration of the cartilage in the shoulder joint can lead to pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility.
- Shoulder Impingement – When the tendons of the rotator cuff become pinched between the bones of the shoulder, it can cause pain and inflammation.
In addition to these common causes, two less common but potentially serious causes of shoulder pain include:
- Fractures – A break in one of the bones in the shoulder can cause severe pain and limit movement.
- Infections – Infections in the shoulder joint can lead to swelling, pain, and systemic symptoms that require urgent treatment.
The Need for Imaging to Get a Precise Diagnosis
It’s important to recognize that shoulder pain cannot always be fully diagnosed based on symptoms alone. Imaging techniques such as X-rays, MRIs, or ultrasounds are necessary to assess the health of the shoulder joint, muscles, tendons, and surrounding tissues. These diagnostic tools provide healthcare providers with a clear view of the problem, allowing them to determine the precise cause of the pain and develop a targeted treatment plan.
The Pain Relief Clinic: Your Partner in Finding a Clear Diagnosis
At The Pain Relief Clinic, we understand how shoulder pain can restrict your mobility and impact your daily life. We specialize in offering non-invasive diagnostic services to uncover the root cause of your pain. If Pilates hasn’t provided the relief you need, we can arrange for affordable scans, typically within one working day.
Medisave can often be used to help cover the cost of these scans, making them more accessible for you.
We also assist with insurance claims, including accident insurance, travel insurance, and company insurance, ensuring that you can access the care you need without the added financial strain.
Once we have a precise diagnosis, we can provide targeted treatments, solutions, and non-invasive technology to help alleviate your shoulder pain and restore your mobility.
Ready to take control of your shoulder pain? Send us a message today to arrange an appointment and begin your journey toward lasting relief from shoulder pain.
What To Expect When I Visit The Pain Relief Clinic
A typical visit will involve our doctor first understanding your medical history, concerns and previous experience with other pain treatments.
For patients who have consulted many people but have yet to receive a clear diagnosis, selecting an affordable imaging scan might be recommended to confirm the cause of your pain..
Some patients have already done scans with other doctors for their pain condition but are still not clearly told what they suffer from.
Dr Terence Tan is happy to offer you a second opinion and recommend how best to manage your condition.
We also see patients who already have a confirmed diagnosis from specialist pain doctors, but are "stuck” because treatment options offered are not practical or acceptable.
We can help by discussing options that you might have potentially never been told of.
A common experience is when a patient has already consulted a specialist doctor for pain management and is told to consider orthopaedic surgery which they find too aggressive.
Or they may have seen doctors for their pain and were prescribed painkillers with potential side effects which made them feel uncomfortable.
Many of our patients have also first tried complementary treatments or acupuncture with traditional Chinese pain doctors.
They look for a second opinion after finding any relief experienced from other treatments to be temporary or requiring repetitive treatments, which add up to time and cost.
Especially in such situations, we emphasize using non-invasive medical technology you likely have not been told about .
This can make a big difference to your results.