176. Neck-driven shoulder pain - 5 common misunderstandings. Physio Edge Shoulder Success podcast with Jo Gibson

When is your patient's shoulder pain from their neck? Are you missing a cervical spine component in your shoulder patients?

After a day in clinic reviewing patients with years of unresolved shoulder pain, Shoulder Specialist Physiotherapist Jo Gibson breaks down the five most common mistakes clinicians make when ruling in — or out — the neck.

In this podcast, Jo covers:

• Why you don't need neck pain to have neck-driven shoulder pain (and which pain locations are most pathognomonic)
• Why referred symptoms below the elbow don't automatically point to the cervical spine
• Why active range of movement alone is not enough to clear the neck
• What palpation findings are actually sufficient — and why you don't need to reproduce peripheral symptoms
• Why using neck movements to modify shoulder symptoms can be misleading

Whether you're seeing patients with posterior-lateral shoulder pain, scapular pain, or symptoms that just aren't responding to local shoulder rehab, Jo shares a practical framework for refining your clinical reasoning and avoiding these common assessment pitfalls.

Key takeaway: Up to 40% of patients with shoulder problems lasting six months or longer have some degree of cervical spine involvement. The subjective examination is doing 80% of the work — Jo explains exactly what to listen for.

Free 7-day Shoulder assessment bootcamp

Join the free 7-day Shoulder assessment bootcamp with Jo Gibson and Clinical Edge

Click on an image below to access these free resources from Jo Gibson and Clinical Edge

The handout for this podcast consists of a transcript associated with this podcast.

Shoulder: Steps to Success online course with Jo Gibson

Improve your assessment and treatment of shoulder pain with the Shoulder: Steps to Success online course with Jo Gibson, now available for enrolment at clinicaledge.co/shouldersuccess

Free trial Clinical Edge membership

Use a fresh approach to your musculoskeletal and sports injury treatment with a free trial Clinical Edge membership at clinicaledge.co/freetrial

Links associated with this episode:

• Join the free 7-day Shoulder assessment bootcamp with Jo Gibson and Clinical Edge
• Free video series - How to be a shoulder detective: Solving acute shoulder pain with Jo Gibson
• Get your access to the free video series "Frozen shoulder assessment & treatment" with Jo Gibson
• Improve your shoulder assessment & treatment with the Shoulder: Steps to Success online course with Jo Gibson
• Improve your confidence and clinical reasoning with a free trial Clinical Edge membership
• Join Jo Gibson live on Facebook & ask your shoulder related questions every Monday
• Download and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast now using the best podcast app currently in existence - Overcast
• Listen to the podcast on Spotify
• Jo Gibson on Twitter
• Let David know what you liked about this podcast on Twitter
• Review the podcast on iTunes
• Infographics by Clinical Edge