Right Shoulder Impingement Case Study

The patient was a 19 year old sophomore outside hitter in volleyball who sustained a right shoulder impingement her freshman year. Since this injury tends to have a gradual onset of symptoms, there was no specific mechanism of injury. However, the constant overhead movement of the arm during her hitting probably greatly contributed to her impingement. She saw the team physician last fall, but did not have any diagnostic imaging test completed such as X-ray or MRI. Although she did receive some rehabilitation for this injury the year prior, she still had ramifications from the injury after this past season. It was determined the patient should perform the rehabilitation with both shoulders so as to not create an imbalance between the arms and in order to try to correct her posture. Initially, the patient had decreased range of motion (ROM) in her left shoulder due to the fact her right shoulder was rehabbed the year prior. Nevertheless, the strength in her right shoulder was decreased when compared to the left side. Her overall function was similar on both sides with the only difference being with the shoulder mobility test associated with the functional movement screening (FMS) that was performed. The short term goals for this rehab were to increase ROM and stability in both shoulders. The …show more content…
This can be extremely painful for the patient and can inhibit athletic performance. Some times, the condition is managed surgically; however, a majority of the time it is managed with rest and physical therapy. Therapy for this condition would focus on strengthening the muscles of the shoulder including the scapula stabilizers as well as the rotator cuff. If left untreated, shoulder impingement can eventually cause more serious injuries such as a rotator cuff tear or glenohumeral instability which can lead to a shoulder dislocation or