03/09/2026
Shoulder pain: assess → treat → reassess.
This regular client returned with left shoulder pain that had responded well to his previous treatment — his shoulder had felt good for around two weeks, and the pain he previously experienced lifting his arm out to the side had settled.
This time, a different movement was troublesome.
Bringing his arm across his body reproduced pain from the top of the shoulder into the deltoid at 9/10, alongside tightness with external rotation.
Rather than simply repeating his previous treatment, I reassessed and worked with what we found on the day.
Treatment focused predominantly on the posterior shoulder and rotator cuff, combining hands-on soft tissue techniques with dry needling.
Immediately afterwards:
Horizontal adduction: pain 9 → 4
External rotation: tightness 5 → 3
And his previous pain with abduction remained settled.
He was also due to have an MRI the following day.
Scans can provide valuable information, but findings need to be considered alongside symptoms, movement, clinical assessment and the wider picture.
One useful question to ask when discussing imaging results is:
“Are any of these findings likely to be causing my pain, or could they be common age-related findings that may not explain my symptoms?”
Assessment → treatment → reassessment — rather than simply treating where it hurts. 🤍
