Shoulder Protocol

Many patients suffer from long term shoulder pains.
There are many reasons why shoulder discomfort exists:

Because of the complexity, a diagnosis is sometimes difficult to make. Luckily there are ways to determine the origin of trouble.

The International Health Centers and Bernard Vrijaldenhoven have developed a system of shoulder diagnostics.

During the first consultation, an extended interview will be held to get a proper picture of your shoulder pains.

After the interview, inspection and various tests of the shoulder, neck and dorsal spine will take place. This is to determine the extension of dysfunction.

If required, an Ultrasound Scan will be made during the first consultation. This is to rule out any structural changes (ruptures, calcifications etc.) of the soft tissue of the shoulder joint.

All the gathered information will lead to a diagnosis and treatment plan. This will be thoroughly explained. It is of vital importance to understand the problem and the implications of it.

Normally, a treatment plan contains various topics:

• Mobilization/manipulation of joints
• Strengthening of specific muscles to ensure better functioning of the shoulder (homework!)
• Awareness of posture and daily activities
• Treatment of affected tissue by Shockwave

Often, treatment of the shoulder can take longer than expected. Restoring affected tissues and correction of (wrong) movements takes effort and dedication.

Although many injuries can be treated conservatively, sometimes an orthopedic consultation is required. You will be referred if the diagnosis suggests a serious injury or progress of the treatment is not according to expectations.

In nowadays world, there is a lot of information available. Through internet, many different consultants and social media you can get confused.

We want to avoid this by being clear and efficient. By doing (combined) consultations, you can get a diagnosis within a short period of time. This will avoid uncertainty, bad coping or illness beliefs.

This protocol is the latest and state-of-the-art approach of shoulder pains.