Shoulder conditions I treat
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. It is also the one most easily injured and whose rehabilitation is most often rushed. Each condition has its own logic, its own timing, its own exercises. Here are the most common situations I see.
Rotator cuff tendinopathy
Pain on the outer shoulder, aggravated when raising the arm. The cause is often a muscular imbalance, not irreversible wear.
Subacromial impingement
The tendon rubs against the acromion on every arm elevation. Very common in swimmers, painters, overhead workers.
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
The joint capsule tightens and the shoulder progressively locks. Often confused with tendinopathy at first, it progresses over 12 to 24 months without treatment.
Rotator cuff tear
Partial or complete. Some partial tears are treated without surgery. Complete tears that are operated on require rigorous rehabilitation over 4 to 6 months.
Instability and dislocation
Common in young athletes (handball, volleyball, climbing). Rehabilitation focuses on stabilising the shoulder through muscle strengthening and proprioception.
Post-operative rehabilitation
After rotator cuff repair, shoulder replacement or stabilisation: protocol adapted to the surgeon's guidelines, your age and your activity level.
An MRI or X-ray can show a "tear" or "arthritis" without any pain, and vice versa. Imaging informs, it does not decide your treatment. What matters is what you can do, what you can no longer do, and why.
How shoulder rehabilitation works
No copy-paste protocol. Shoulder rehabilitation is built from your clinical picture, not from a diagnosis on a prescription. Here are the main stages.
Initial assessment
Range of motion, strength, stability testing. We identify painful movements, muscle weaknesses, postural factors and compensations. This is the foundation of the entire programme.
Pain control phase
Manual therapy, gentle mobilisation, IASTM on tendinous tissues. The goal is to reduce inflammation and restore basic mobility without triggering a pain flare.
Progressive strengthening
Rotator cuff, scapular stabilisers, posterior chain. We start from the deep muscles before moving to global movements. Progression is guided by your responses, not a fixed calendar.
Functional return
Return to daily and sport-specific movements: lifting arms overhead, carrying, swimming, hitting a ball. Exercises specific to your activity are integrated when pain and strength allow.
Night pain in the shoulder is often the first symptom to address. Sleeping well accelerates recovery: poor sleep quality disrupts inflammation regulation. We always start by identifying the least aggressive sleeping position.
Rehabilitation timeframes by condition
These are ranges. They vary depending on how long the pain has been present, your muscle profile, and how consistently you do the exercises between sessions.
| Condition | Estimated duration | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Acute tendinopathy | 6 to 12 weeks | 8 to 15 |
| Chronic tendinopathy | 3 to 6 months | 15 to 25 |
| Subacromial impingement | 8 to 16 weeks | 10 to 20 |
| Frozen shoulder | 6 to 18 months | 30 to 60 |
| Post-op rotator cuff | 4 to 9 months | 25 to 55 |
| Post-op shoulder replacement | 4 to 6 months | 25 to 40 |