How Yoga Therapy Can Help You With Shoulder Tendonitis?

What is shoulder tendonitis?

Tendinitis is, as its name suggests, a disease related to the tendons. Tendons are the fleshy things that connect the muscle to the bone. It is a disorder that usually occurs in tendons that do not have sheaths. It occurs when there is an inflammation in the tendon. The tendons in the shoulder are responsible for the movement and ease of rotation of the shoulder. Shoulder tendonitis is when the tendons in the rotator cuff swell up.

Tendons are long and rope-like. Like a rope, with repetitive movement and friction, they may get frayed. Before a fray or a tear, there is inflammation. This condition hinders the movement of the shoulder, causing pain and discomfort.

What are the causes of shoulder tendonitis?

Shoulder tendonitis occurs at a stretch of time. The tendons in the rotator cuff region often develop the disorder due to excessive friction. This occurs due to the repetitive movement of the shoulder. A lot of the people who play specific sports might end up with this condition.

Tendonitis is usually chronic rather than acute. Acute injuries are traumatic injuries. Chronic injuries occur with over-use. People who play sports like golf and basketball usually develop the disorder. It is a good thing, however, that most cases are reversible.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety raises awareness of tendinitis and tendinopathy. Much more of that information can be found here.

What are the symptoms?

There are some symptoms that can warn you about shoulder tendinitis. It is necessary to pay attention to what your body is telling you. Although most cases are reversible, it can be prevented. If it is not treated, it can cause a large amount of pain. It can also require surgery. All of this can be prevented by making sure you get treatment in time. Some of the symptoms are:

• Pain in the shoulder and the arm. In worse cases, the pain can extend as far as the elbow.
• Clicking and locking of the joints in the rotator cuff.
• Ache in the shoulder as you extend an arm.
• Ache in the shoulder if you lie on it.
• In bad cases, the shoulder may cause pain even when not being moved.

If you feel like any of these symptoms apply to you, seek immediate help. Also, look out if you have an elder person in the family who has similar complaints. Old age is also a factor. Tendonitis is filed under chronic pain when we talk about the population. According to Statistics Canada, around 1 in every ten Canadians aged 12-44 experiences chronic pain.

How can yoga therapy help?

There are many ways you can treat shoulder tendinitis. Physiotherapy is particularly helpful, for one. Since this is a musculoskeletal disease, it can be treated with physical therapy. Among the various kinds of alternative therapy, yoga therapy proves to be effective.

Experts have been practicing yoga therapy in the world for more than four thousand years. It is one of the oldest techniques of physical and mental meditation. It may be newer or trendy to the Western world these days. However, its prevalence has been quite mainstream in the Eastern world. In fact, Indians practice it regularly as a means to attain physical health and spiritual satisfaction. It is now also prevalent in Canada, as shown in this particular report by the Star.

Yoga believes in the balance of the mind, the body, and the spirit. The therapy devotes itself to understanding the root cause of the problem. It then focuses on solving that problem. Any physical ailment puts the body, mind, and soul out of balance. Yoga therapy uses physical positions and introspection in order to restore that balance.

Yoga therapy and shoulder tendonitis

The treatment of this condition occurs in two phases: acute and subacute. Yoga therapy usually comes into play on the subacute stage. Let us take the example of Jenna. Jenna came into Pillars of Wellness in Burlington, complaining of unbearable pain in her shoulder every time she shrugged. A dancer in her free time, the 37-year-old was rather worried. She was diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis. However, it was in the early stages and with proper care, she would recover in no time.

Jenna did not want to take any medication because she preferred alternative methods of healing. She was then introduced to yoga therapy. In the acute stage, she was given resting time for 4-6 days. After that, she was given a demonstration on yoga poses and postures that would aid her recovery. Every person’s case is unique. With that in mind, a typical initial assessment goes something like this.

• The Yoga therapist assesses your history and cause of injury.
• The Yoga therapist addresses any emotional or physical trauma caused by the injury.
• They then offer the patient a demonstration on the yoga postures and poses that are suited to their injury and comfort level.
• The patient goes through breathing and relaxation exercises.
• They provide a chart on the timings for the yoga exercises and their durations.
• Additionally, a yoga therapist will also provide you with a chart for diet. A balanced diet can work wonders for your immune system.

When to choose yoga therapy?

Yoga therapy has been quite successful in musculoskeletal ailments. Yoga improves the balance and lymphatic control of the body. It also aids in the better circulation of blood. It increases the rate of your recovery. Furthermore, it is necessary to always seek professional help before trying out a particular posture. Jenna had the expert advice of our yoga therapy team. Yoga eases pain and discomfort while offering you peace of mind. Meditative yoga offers respite to those in physical pain.

Every case is different. The posture and exercises you need can differ from someone in a similar case. This is why you should always seek out professional advice when it comes to therapeutic yoga. By and large, yoga is a great way to subtly restore health to the body.