Impingement Syndrome
Impingement syndrome is a prevalent source of pain in the shoulder. It can be experienced by physically active individuals, particularly during their old age. This clinical condition, shoulder impingement can be found in almost 50% of patients who visit a doctor with a complaint of shoulder pain. The shoulder impingement is also known as rotator cuff tendonitis or shoulder bursitis and swimmer’s shoulder. Impingement syndrome occurs by the pressure of acromion on the rotator cuff tendons, resulting in severe pain and restricted movement.

Risk Factors
There are several risk factors of impingement syndrome. Those athletes are more likely at risk of developing impingement syndrome who use repetitive shoulder movements, such as swimmers, baseball pitchers, cricket bowlers, and tennis players. The individuals with weak bones or joint abnormalities are also at higher risk.
Moreover, those workers are also at higher risk of developing impingement syndrome, whose job is to perform repetitive lifting and heavy physical activities. An overload of overhead activities in painters, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters can lead to the risk of developing impingement syndrome.
Furthermore, several intrinsic factors may also contribute to the risk of developing impingement syndrome. Such as the shape of the acromion has significant importance in the evaluation of risk factors.
Aging also has a vital role the individual in middle-aged are generally are at high risk. Lastly, a good posture is essential to prevent this clinical condition. A bad or weak posture will prevent shoulder muscle development and lead to impingement syndrome.

Signs and Symptoms
The clinical signs and symptoms of impingement syndrome may vary from mild to severe. The following are the most classical clinical signs and symptoms of impingement syndrome
– Pain in the front part of the shoulder. This pain may radiate to the upper part of the arm.
– Severe pain during lifting and performing an overhead athletic activity. Such as pitching baseball or swimming. Pain can be felt while lowering the arm from an elevated position.
– Swelling and tenderness over the front part of the shoulder can be observed.
– Depending on the severity the pain might be felt at night along with restriction of movement.

Causes
Many factors contribute to shoulder impingement, and the most significant cause is overuse of the shoulder. Repeatedly, using of the shoulder may lead to the swelling of tendons and damage the tissues. Heavyweight training exercises are also responsible for developing this condition. In the other factors, there are unknown causes for developing impingement syndrome.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis can be carried out from the following methods.
– Diagnostic injection
– Magnetic Resonance Image
– X-rays
– Ultrasound
– Arthrogram

Treatment
Proper Rest
Proper rest is essential in treating the shoulder impingement. It is highly recommended to avoid strenuous exercise because it can increase the pain. Follow the guidelines as provided by your doctor.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy involves sessions of gentle exercises that are suitable for rebuilding shoulder strength and enhance mobility. These physical therapies sessions are conducted by professional therapist having specialization in shoulder injuries.
Medication
In shoulder impingement mostly anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to alleviate the early signs and symptoms. These medications can help to reduce the swelling and pain. In case of severe pain, the doctor may prescribe an injection to reduce the severity of pain.
Pre-Surgery
The orthopedic surgeon may ask for your medical history to check the patient is free from any medical condition. The reports of the magnetic resonance image, arthrogram, and X-rays can be evaluated before the surgical procedure. In case of any health complications or health risks, an extensive evaluation may be required before surgery.
Arthroscopic Surgical Procedure
The doctor may recommend surgery to those patients who have undergone the non-surgical procedures but did not benefit. In the surgical procedures, there are two options one is arthroscopy the other one is open. The surgery depends upon the clinical condition of the patient and the surgeon. The arthroscopy surgical procedure is capable of improving the function in almost 85% of patients.
There are many benefits of adopting arthroscopy surgical procedure. The most significant advantage of this surgical procedure is the speedy recovery. Secondly, it is less invasive and predictably less painful than the open surgery. The surgical procedure used to correct impingement is called as a subacromial decompression.
The arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder is usually performed by utilizing the regional nerve blocks which results in the numbness of shoulder and arm. The numbing medication is injected in the neck region or at the upper part of the shoulder. It is the location of nerves that are responsible for controlling the feelings of the arm and shoulder. The most significant advantage of this procedure is pain control for several hours after surgery. During the arthroscopic surgical procedure, a tiny fiber-optic tool is implanted into the joint. In the majority of surgical operations, the surgeon can examine and repair the damage without making large incisions.

Recovery
Returning to routine work will mostly depend upon the shoulder problem. Depending upon the medication used during surgery the entire arm might feel numb for 12-18 hours, and you can not move it. Majority of people require eight weeks or even longer to recover and resume their everyday tasks.
However, the recovery process depends on the surgical procedure being carried out. It is recommended to restrict then heavy workload until the shoulder gets strength and return to regular movement if an individual’s routine job is a desk job then its easy to resume the work within a week.
Every shoulder impingement surgery is different from the other. Mostly the impingements will respond positively after the surgical procedure. However, in several complicated cases, the response rate might be slower due to clinical complications and other factors. In such cases, patients might take several months to recover and return to work. If you are looking for a specialized shoulder surgeon in, call our office to schedule an appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Katzell, MD at 561-642-1219.