
Some Common Problems



PAIN IN THE NECK
Neck pain is often due to poor movement patterns or presents after a whiplash-type injury. Both of
these can speed up the normal wear-and-tear that happens in all our joints as we age and can be a
cause if pain.
Poor movement patterns can lead to:
SHOULDER ACHES
The shoulder, a ball and socket joint, is an unstable joint in the sense that the ‘socket’-part is very
shallow. This means that the muscles of the shoulder girdle are absolutely essential in maintaining
stability of the joint
Pain often arises when there are muscle imbalances which can be a contributing factor to rotator cuff
syndromes (although not necessarily always the case) and impingement at the shoulder.
Impingement around the shoulder area can also be due to a excessively curved acromion or an
osteophyte (bony growth) on the underside of the AC (acromio-clavicular) joint impinging the rotator
cuf
KNEE PAIN
Knee problems are common in runners, soccer players etc, but you don’t have to be an elite athlete
to suffer with a painful knee.
Things to consider:
Research shows that weakness of the muscles around the hips and/or pelvis can contribute to the
developement of knee pain. Weakness of the hip muscles influence the position of the knee during
movement (which is exaspirated with high impact exercises).
Your physiotherapist will also assess for possible tightness of the ITB, check the position and
movement of your patella, as well as the general symmetry of the legs.