Mon/Wed: 10am–6pm
Tue/Thu: 7am–3pm
(later by appointment)
Lakewood Fri: 9am–12pm
Centennial Fri: 10am–2pm
(by appointment only)
Injury Care
Shoulder pain doesn't need a diagnosis code to ruin your stroke, your serve, or your ability to reach the top shelf.
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body — which is exactly why it’s the least stable, and the first to complain when something upstream isn’t pulling its weight. Rotator cuff irritation, shoulder impingement, labral irritation, and general overuse are all common culprits.
Because the shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body, it relies heavily on surrounding muscles for stability. When strength or control in those surrounding muscles is lacking, the joint can become irritated or unstable during repetitive movement like throwing, swimming, or overhead lifting.
At Modern Movement Clinic, we assess shoulder pain in the context of your specific activity — whether that’s a throwing motion, a swim stroke, or a lifting pattern — rather than treating the shoulder in isolation. This helps us identify what’s actually driving the irritation, not just where it shows up.
Shoulder pain can present differently depending on the underlying cause. These are some of the most common patterns we see.
Shoulder pain often develops gradually from repetitive overhead movement combined with strength or stability limitations in the surrounding muscles. Identifying the specific combination behind your pain is what shapes an effective plan.
Evaluation starts with understanding your activity, symptoms, and how the pain shows up — during throwing, swimming, lifting, or daily movement. From there, we assess shoulder strength, stability, and range of motion, along with related areas like the shoulder blade and thoracic spine.
We pay close attention to how your shoulder moves during activities relevant to you, rather than assessing it in isolation. This helps us understand whether the issue is coming from strength, stability, mobility, or a combination — and build a plan around the actual cause.
Not always. Shoulder pain can come from several sources, including impingement, labral irritation, or instability, in addition to rotator cuff issues. An evaluation helps determine which pattern applies to you.
In many cases, yes, with some modification to volume or mechanics while we address the underlying issue. More significant pain may need a short adjustment period, which we’ll help you navigate.
Not necessarily. Most shoulder pain reveals itself through a solid strength and stability assessment before a scan ever would.
This depends on the cause, how long you’ve had symptoms, and how consistently you follow the plan. We’ll give you a realistic picture after your evaluation.
Most of the shoulder pain we see responds well to movement-based treatment and doesn’t require surgery. If we think surgical evaluation is warranted, we’ll refer you to the appropriate specialist.
An accurate evaluation beats guessing which motion set it off.
