Do you have persistent shoulder pain that limits your sport, exercise, work or family time?
If so then the Central Performance Shoulder Program could help you. It is specifically designed to treat recurrent or persistent shoulder pain, including problems that have failed to respond to previous treatment programs. It incorporates the latest research on shoulder screening, rehab techniques, injury prediction tests, return-to-sport markers and functional strength integration with whole-body movement.
Who is the shoulder program designed for?
The shoulder program is ideal for you if you have a shoulder problem that;
hasn’t fully resolved with previous treatment including normal physio, chiro, osteo or massage
has temporarily gone away with previous treatment programs but then keeps coming back, eg if feels better when you get treatment and reduce your exercise but comes back again when you re-start exercise
is ok for normal daily activity but gets sore if you get back in to more sport or exercise like swimming, tennis, cricket, gym training or surfing
Also if you have had shoulder surgery, either recently or in the past, then the Shoulder Program is structured perfectly to help you complete your rehab protocol and return to your maximum strength, mobility and performance levels.
Your initial screen – the first step to effective management of shoulder pain
At your first session you will have a comprehensive initial screen to identify specific factors that are driving your painful shoulder. This screen is unique because it looks at whole-body factors that are vital to achieve correct shoulder function, not just local shoulder measures. It is at the forefront of evidence-based shoulder assessment and utilises well-researched tests including;
the Shoulder Symptom Modification Procedure
the Functional Movement Systems (FMS) Screen
upper Quadrant Y- Balance testing
shoulder strength dynamometry
specific range of motion testing
the DASH Shoulder function questionnaire
Your initial screen clarifies whether there are issues with your mobility, stability or strength that need correcting to relieve your pain and allow you to achieve optimal shoulder function. Commonly it highlights problems outside the shoulder joint itself that have prevented previous treatment programs from giving you lasting resolution of your problems, eg reduced trunk/core stability, poor thoracic spine mobility or incorrect recruitment of scapular stabiliser muscles.
From the results of your initial screen we develop a structured management program for you. This progresses from hands-on treatment through to specific exercise-based management to achieve the stability and functional strength that you require. If you have a sport or fitness goal in mind then you will progress on to sports-specific strength and conditioning for the final stage of your recovery.
Why screen and look outside the shoulder?
Research shows that persistent shoulder pain, especially in athletes, is often driven by factors far away from your shoulder. For example in a tennis serve biomechanical studies show that 54 % of the total power in your serve comes from your legs and trunk, while remarkably the shoulder only contributes 21% of the total force required. So if your lower body isn’t working efficiently then to create the same speed/velocity of your serve you need to “catch up” with your shoulder. This leads to shoulder overload, early fatigue and subsequent injury. Similarly, research shows that in swimmers a restriction in anterior (front) hip mobility leads to greater drag through the water, which means the shoulder has to work much harder to pull you along. Once again this significantly increases the stress you place on your shoulder and increases your chance of persisting problems.
The Shoulder Program For Improved Sports Performance
In both the tennis serve and swimming examples above you can see how your risk of ongoing shoulder pain is increased when there are limitations of mobility and strength in areas outside your shoulder itself. But this is also a vital key to improving sports performance. If you want to increase the speed of your tennis serve, then screening and correcting strength issues in other areas of your body can have a profound effect. For the swimmer, as you reduce your drag through the water by increasing your anterior hip mobility youcan also expect a significant boost to your swim speed.
The key concept here for both performance improvement and injury prevention is whole-body movement efficiency – getting your whole body co-ordinating and moving correctly. This maximises the output (sports speed, strength or control) for the input (energy, effort, time) that you put in. So the screening results and subsequent corrective program delivered by the Shoulder Program can bring you significant improvements in sporting ability as well as reduce your risk of further shoulder pain.
Unique six-stage program structure
The Shoulder Program has been specifically structured to allow every client to progress at their optimum pace according to their injury history, initial screening results and performance goals. It is divided into six stages, with each stage having performance markers that must be reached before progression to the next stage. This delivers a lasting recovery and builds a solid foundation for improved shoulder health and sports performance.
The six progressive stages to restore and enhance your shoulder function are;
Reduce pain; optimise shoulder and thoracic range of motion
Build neuromuscular control for a stable shoulder girdlein inner-range movements
Build scapular strength and endurance; incorporate rotator cuff strength
Functional strengthening including sport-specific movements
Return-to-sport loading, including re-assessment of movement screening and functional performance markers for return to sport
Programming for prevention of re-injury and enhancing performance
Stages 1-3 of the program ensure that lifestyle-driven shoulder problems are treated effectively and thoroughly to reduce your risk of future problems. Factors such as the role of posture, the movement mechanics required for everyday activities and your functional ability to play social sports are assessed and corrected. Client education is also emphasised to help fully correct lifestyle factors which are often responsible for ongoing shoulder pain.
The Shoulder Program firmly closes the gap between rehabilitation and enhanced sports performance. By incorporating whole-body screens such as the FMS the influence of trunk stability and whole-body mechanics on shoulder function is identified. Stages 4-6 of the program use these results to integrate advanced shoulder strengthening with whole-body sport-specific strength and conditioning. This optimises shoulder function for improved sports performance and reduces your risk of future shoulder injury.
How to book your first appointment to join the Shoulder Program
The Shoulder Program is available to everyone, just the same as our regular physiotherapy services. All of your sessions are booked and billed exactly the same as regular physio, meaning you are eligible for on-the-spot health fund rebates through the HICAPS system. So if you have a shoulder pain that is restricting your daily activity or sporting performance then our Shoulder Program could start you on a journey to achieving your health and sporting goals.
Book your first appointment online or call us on 9280 2322
