One of our recent patients to come through the clinic had an injury to her shoulder after a fall directly onto it during a skiing trip. She was diagnosed with a fracture of her Greater Tuberosity. Fractures such as these are going to be painful, debilitating, and in need of medical attention. Fractures of the shoulder can be quite serious, and they will often require physical therapy to heal to 100 percent and to retain range of motion. Reparation of the shoulder fracture, or greater tuberosity fracture, sometimes requires surgery, and it is after this surgery that the real work of healing is going to take place.

The greater tuberosity is the site where the supraspinatus muscle connects, and a fracture here is going to damage more than just the bone and joint. It is also going to cause some serious issues with the shoulder muscles, connective tissue, and more. If there is no dislocation of the bone, the area could heal without the need for any invasive procedures, but the patient is going to need to wear a sling, generally for about 4 to 6 weeks. In addition, proper physical therapy is going to be essential.

Treatment for Shoulder Fracture

When the physical therapist first begins to work with someone who is recovering from a shoulder fracture, it will be slow going. Strengthening and improving the range of motion slowly is the first order of business in most cases. This will often include some simple isometric muscle contractions. Follow ups with your doctor will involve x-rays and once it shows the bone is healing well, you may then be able to move on to more aggressive physical therapy.

At this point, you will move on to stretching and strengthening with advancement to plyometric exercise. This helps to improve the strength further. Another part of therapy will be soft tissue mobilization. In addition to helping the patient to relax, this also helps to facilitate faster healing and to make range of motion exercises a bit easier. Ultrasound, electronic stimulation, and cole therapy are all options that your physical therapist might employ as well. Something else that many therapists are starting to use is Kinesio taping. This taping method can help to facilitate the weakened muscles.

When you have a physical therapy consultation for your shoulder fracture injury, you will be able to go over the different types of treatment that you will be able to expect and the timeframe for healing. Keep in mind that people do heal at different rates, so it could take you a bit longer to make it through therapy. As long as you have a great therapist, he or she will be able to let you know how you are progressing.

You Deserve the Best

When you are looking for a physical therapy clinic, make sure you are working with only the best physical therapists. Your health and well-being is not something that you can take lightly. Contact the therapists at ActiveCare so you can have your physical therapy consultation and start getting the high quality treatment that you deserve.

Call ActiveCare today to start a physical therapy program today for your Shoulder Fracture PT.