Adventure Physiotherapy

📢 New blog post is up 📢

If you find yourself waking up consistently stiff and sore in the mornings, this month's post will talk about how physio can help you figure out why that is happening.

Check it out at: https://www.adventurephysiotherapy.com/monthly-blog/2026/6/10/morning-stiffness-normal-aging-or-something-more

Pain when reaching overhead or sleeping on your shoulder may be shoulder impingement

Shoulder impingement syndrome, often called subacromial pain syndrome, happens when the tissues around the rotator cuff and bursa become irritated with repeated overhead movement, poor load distribution, or prolonged posture habits. It’s one of the most common causes of shoulder pain, and physiotherapy is considered the first-line treatment.

⚠️ What You Might Notice

Pain when lifting the arm overhead 🙋

Discomfort when reaching behind your back

Pain when sleeping on the affected shoulder 🌙

Weakness or heaviness during gym, work, or sport

Pain that worsens with repetitive overhead activity 🔄

🤝 Our Whole-Body Clinical View

We don’t only focus on the shoulder joint itself. The shoulder works as part of a full upper-body movement chain involving the shoulder blade, upper back, neck, rib cage, and breathing system. When the shoulder blade doesn’t move well, posture becomes rounded, or the rotator cuff and upper back muscles lose strength, the tissues under the acromion may become overloaded. From this perspective, pain often reflects how the shoulder blade, rotator cuff, posture, and thoracic spine are managing load together — not just a single “pinched” structure.

Current evidence strongly supports progressive strengthening, scapular control, posture correction, and manual therapy combined with exercise as the most effective physiotherapy approach.

If shoulder pain is limiting your daily life, gym, or sport, there are very effective strategies that can help.

✨ Come see us — we’ll help you understand what’s overloading your shoulder.
Follow our page for trusted physiotherapy education, and feel free to send us a DM if this is something you’re dealing with.

This is a great taping technique to use for an athlete with an irritable Achilles tendon who just needs to get through the next sporting event. However, this is not recommended to use as a long term strategy.