When a patient comes in with the complaint of “shoulder pain," it is not as simple as massaging/stretching/exercising the shoulder to make it feel better.  That is because the source of pain is almost always different from the origin of the pain.  For example, the symptom of shoulder pain could likely be due to an impairment in a different area of the body such as the abdomen, neck, back, etc. Therefore, that individual's shoulder pain would not be improved long term by a home exercise program consisting of stretches and mobility exercises for the shoulder.  

In addition, what many people consider "good mobility" could very well be a compensatory pattern consisting of hypermobility at one segment and hypomobility in another, which in turn appears as normal mobility and range of motion to the untrained eye.  Many symptoms and limitations that people convince themselves are consequence of  "getting old," could very well be treatable now and could prevent further decline.  That is why a full physical therapy evaluation is necessary. 

Following a thorough history of the patient’s current and past medical conditions helping me determine potential causative factors (functional, personal, and environmental), I perform a full head-to-toe musculoskeletal observation and assessment.  This consists evaluating the patient’s unique anatomy, posture, basic movements (the amount of and quality of the movements), trigger point sensitivity, muscle/joint/fascia/scar mobility, basic strength, and other special testing.   If indicated I will also perform a neurological assessment of individual nerves, nerve roots, and brain function.  This includes testing things like sensation, reflexes, visual fields, types of weakness, etc.  With all of these tests, I am looking for asymmetries, deformities, abnormal functioning, symptom reproduction, etc. 

If you are a returning patient, I am also looking for changes from your baseline (initial) assessment during these evaluations.  This is one of the main reasons that, even if you are not experiencing pain or symptoms, it is still a great idea and highly suggested that you get evaluated at least annually by the same therapist.  This will help me observe and treat those smaller changes early before they snowball into a larger issue that could require surgical intervention. 

Consistent, annual evaluations will also make it much easier to catch potential serious pathologies (i.e. cancer, multiple sclerosis, Guillan-Barre, ALS, Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, vascular impairments, etc.) that otherwise may not be recognized until much later in life.  In this scenario, not only would I be able to refer you to the proper medical provider for further evaluation, but I would also be able to provide the specialist with a fully documented history of your condition allowing the physician to arrive at a diagnosis much more quickly and easily.

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During my evaluation process, I will explain everything I am doing while I am doing it and will educate you on my findings and  discuss with you a plan of action to get you back to your A game.  

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Why wait until the onset of pain/symptoms, until you can no longer move in ways you could when you were younger, until your game is suffering, or until you need expensive imaging or surgery?  Once those things occur, you will likely end up in my clinic anyways. Come see me today for a full head-to-toe Selective Functional Movement Assessment and receive my professional advice on how you can stop the pain, symptoms, and decreased joint mobility before they happen and start moving better than you have in years!  For a limited time, I will be performing these assessments for a super low price of $30!