Meet Sindisiwe
AGE 35 | BUSINESS OWNER
SHOULDER
I am a 35-year-old woman with my own dressmaking business. I use my hands a lot and rely on them for my work. I recently started playing tennis again and after 3 weeks started to get a sore shoulder. It is so painful that I can’t lift my arm to shoulder height. I can’t sleep on it and the pain wakes me up at night. Should I see a doctor?
Should I see a doctor?
You can go straight to a Physiotherapist as they are first-line practitioners and have the ability to diagnose your injury and treat it accordingly. After initial treatment, the Physiotherapist should refer you to a Biokineticist to complement the hands-on therapy with a range of exercises prescribed to strengthen muscles to improve your movement coordination and reduce your risk for a more serious injury. This combined approach will get you back to tennis safely. The Biokineticist will also include exercises for your posture and shoulder stability in order to cope with your physically-demanding dressmaking work.
Can I keep playing with it or will it get worse?
Initially, you should take a break and work with the Physio to reduce your pain and restore your range of motion. Simultaneously, your Biokineticist will work on your core strength and shoulder stability. Your medical team will allow you to play tennis but will restrict your load and allow you into full games as soon as they advise that it is safe to do so. With an “overuse” injury such as yours, repetitive movements will most likely cause it to persist until the mechanical issue is resolved.
Can I come to you for an assessment?
Yes. A Biokineticist can assess you to determine the area of weakness, imbalance, dysfunction and injury. Pending the outcome, we will prescribe specific exercises to improve the problem or refer you to a Physio to assist with treatment.