Impingement

Impingement is a painful condition in the shoulder where it hurts to lift the arm and can be difficult to use the arm as usual. The shoulder is the most flexible joint in the body as it can be bent in almost any direction. The upper arm attaches to the shoulder with tendons and ligaments to hold the shoulder in place properly. At the top of the shoulder there is a fairly tight passage where the tendons pass through and if this passage becomes too narrow, making it difficult for the tendons to move, it is called impingement. When the tendons are squeezed, you lose strength and mobility in your shoulder and arm. Most commonly, impingement is caused by changes in age or overuse during work or sports.

There is no obvious cure for impingement but what you can try to do is to train the muscles of the shoulder and arms. If you train other muscles and tendons that do not hurt, they can relieve and compensate for the damaged area. The instinct when you have shoulder pain is often to keep the shoulder still, but this is something you should try to avoid as it only leads to the muscles being weakened. Instead, you should try to find forms of exercise and movements that can be performed without subjecting the shoulder and tendons to wear and tear and pain. It may also help to stretch the chest and back muscles around the shoulder and neck so that they do not pull on the shoulder unnecessarily and cause pain.

To be able to continue using the injured shoulder and eventually regain mobility and get rid of the pain, it is important to give the shoulder enough support. Today there are several different types of shoulder protectors and supports that can help those suffering from painful impingement during the rehabilitation of the injury. The protectors and supports can be used during rehabilitation training to relieve the injured shoulder as much as possible from further overload. A shoulder protector warms the shoulder, which speeds up the healing process of the injury and can thus shorten the rehabilitation time. Many people find it comfortable to wear a shoulder protector even when not exercising as the shoulder benefits from relief in everyday situations.