A frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition characterized by stiffness, pain, and restricted movement in the shoulder joint. It typically develops gradually in four stages: the painful stage, the freezing stage, the frozen stage, and the thawing stage. These four stages can last from six months to two years or more. The exact cause is unclear, but it’s more common in people with certain medical conditions like diabetes. Although the cause of a frozen shoulder is not well understood, progress in pain research can help steer clinicians and patients to find the best treat ..read more

Shoulder impingement is where the tendons and connective tissues in your shoulder get pinched or compressed, causing pain and inflammation. It happens when the space between the bones in your shoulder joint narrows, usually due to repetitive overhead motions or age-related changes.  This pinching can irritate the rotator cuff tendons and the bursa (a fluid-filled sac) in your shoulder, leading to pain, especially when you raise your arm overhead or lie on that side. Shoulder impingement is often seen in athletes and people who do a lot of physical work, but it can also develop gradually o ..read more

A Bankart lesion is the most common type of shoulder dislocation where the humeral head of the upper arm bone moves toward the front and downward with applied force. This can cause the glenoid labrum of the shoulder socket to tear, making the shoulder joint less stable and more prone to repeat dislocations. Bankart lesions are common in athletes who participate in overhead sports but may also occur from a fall, car accident, or other stress to the shoulder. There are two types of Bankart lesions:  Soft Bankart lesion: Only the labrum is torn without any associated bone damage. This is the ..read more

A SLAP tear is a tear of the labram cartilage that lines the shoulder socket, often involving the attachment of the biceps tendon to the labrum. SLAP tears (Superior Labrum Anterior and Posterior) can be acute, chronic, or degenerative and often occur with other shoulder injuries, such as posterior labral tears, Bankart lesions, or rotator cuff injuries. About 6% and 12% in the general population has a SLAP tear. Shoulder joint anatomy The shoulder girdle consists of four joints—glenohumeral, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, scapulothoracic—working together to create the most flexible join ..read more

A biopsychosocial approach to joint pain considers the interactions of biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding and addressing someone’s pain experience. Like ingredients in a cake, these factors should be considered together rather than separately.Biological factors include the physiological aspects, such as tissue damage, inflammation, and structural abnormalities in the joint. These factors may or may not be a cause of pain. Biological factors also include genetics, age, gender, and overall health status, all of which can influence pain perception and response. Psychol ..read more

People with cancer or a history of having cancer treatments may get turned away from getting a massage or other spa treatments. Oftentimes these stories may not get media attention, and it may not get reported.  In 2015, journalist Joanna Moorhead, who was diagnosed with cancer, wrote her experience in The Guardian about the vulnerability she felt when she filled out a questionnaire that asked about her health history. “Because spas, on the whole, are scared of people like me,” she wrote. “Most do not have therapists trained specifically in how to treat them, and the default position in m ..read more

Traditionally, craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle type of manual therapy that focuses on treating the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround the brain and spinal cord—collectively, the craniosacral system. Practitioners use light touch to release tension and stress, believing low amplitude of the craniosacral rhythm indicates low vitality in the person. It can be used on a variety of conditions, including headaches, chronic pain, scoliosis, and musculoskeletal pain. Critics often question the underlying principles of craniosacral therapy, which posits that gentle manipulation of t ..read more

KT Tape is one of the many brands of Kinesio Tape that has become wildly popular over the past few years. This class of tape was invented about 50 years ago by Dr. Kenzo Kase, a Japanese chiropractor who wanted  to mimic a practitioner’s hands while the patient is away from the clinic. The tape markets itself as an elastic sports and fitness tape thanks to a few features. It has a unilateral elasticity which allows it to get longer without narrowing. The PRO formula also touts a more breathable fabric, which makes this tape more comfortable and longer lasting. KT Tape claims that when app ..read more

Kinesiology tape, or KT tape, is often used as a conservative treatment for pain relief and to support the joints to reduce the risk of injury and improve athletic performance. It’s similar to regular athletic tapes that you often see in drugstores, but unlike them, KT tape is more elastic, waterproof, and comes in a variety of colors. Carpal tunnel is a painful condition in your wrist where the median nerve is compressed in the narrow “tunnel” of the wrist. Any compression to the nerve can cause a tingling and numb sensation or severe pain that can make holding a mug or pen difficult. Obvious ..read more

Kinesio Tape is a type of elastic, athletic tape that can be used to treat pain and swelling after an ankle injury. It mayalso improve local circulation in the injured area. While the mechanisms behind its benefits are not fully understood, research has shown that Kinesio Tape can improve proprioception, or the body’s awareness of its own position and movement. This can be useful during rehabilitation as restoring proprioception is an important part of the healing process.  Kinesio Tape proponents claim that it can help the body in many ways including reducing inflammation, returning the ..read more