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

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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

Should you prescribe isometric or isotonic exercises for your patient's lower limb tendinopathy?

When is it safe to add plyometric loading, and how do you progress running or jumping without flaring your patients tendon pain?

Why do some "tricky tendons" refuse to respond to your best loading programs?

Dr Ebonie Rio (Post-Doctoral Senior Research Fellow, La Trobe University) reveals the evidence-based answers as she guides you through the clinical reasoning and practical strategies for managing patellar, achilles, and other lower limb tendinopathies.

In this conversation, you'll follow clinical examples and unpack the latest research to help you feel confident with tendinopathy assessment and treatment.

Inside this podcast you'll explore:

• Tendon pathology explained: What’s happening inside tendinopathic tendons, how to explain tendinopathy and ultrasound scan results to patients
• The role of isometrics: Whether isometrics actually change tendon structure, when to use isometrics to improve pain, optimal dosage, and whether isometrics are all your tendinopathy patients need
• Safe loading from day one: When are both isometrics AND isotonics safe to start immediately, and how to choose isometric positions and loads.
• The 24-hour emoji rule: How to teach patients to monitor their response after running or loading using the emoji system
• What NOT to do: Exercises, manual therapy and supplements that won’t help tendon pain and may stir it up
• Differential diagnosis mastery: How to distinguish patellar tendinopathy from patellofemoral pain, mid-portion achilles tendinopathy from peritendinitis, and when you've got the diagnosis wrong
• Stairs as a progression exercise: The quasi-isometric stair protocol that works for everyone from sedentary patients to elite sprinters—and how to use tempo to control tendon load
• Criteria-based progressions: Moving beyond time-based rehab to functional milestones
• When loading programs fail: What to do when your patient is worse with your exercises

You'll walk away with:

• Clear clinical reasoning to differentiate true tendinopathy from other conditions
• Practical loading frameworks that progress your isometrics, isotonics and plyometrics based on patient response
• Patient education scripts that use imaging findings to build confidence rather than fear
• Simple monitoring tools (the emoji system) to empower patients to self-manage their load progression

Dr Ebonie Rio is a post doc researcher at La Trobe University and has completed her PhD in tendon pain, Masters Sports Phys, B. Phys (Hons) and B. App Sci. Her clinical career has included the Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Ballet Company, Australian Ballet School, Melbourne Heart Football Club, Alphington Sports Medicine Centre, Victorian Institute of Sport, 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics, 2012 London Paralympics, 18 months travelling with Disney's The Lion King stage show (Melbourne and Shanghai tour).

Get free access to the "Tricky tendons" infographic series

Unlock the secrets of successful tendinopathy assessment and treatment with this free infographic series for therapists.

Links

• Improve your musculoskeletal and sports injury assessment & treatment results with a free trial Clinical Edge membership
• Click here to register and receive immediate access to the Tricky tendons infographic series
• Free Achilles tendinopathy video series with Tom Goom
• David Pope at Clinical Edge
• Download and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
• Download the podcast in Overcast
• Listen to the podcast on Spotify
• Dr Ebonie Rio
• David Pope on Twitter
• David Pope & why I started Clinical Edge
• Review the podcast on iTunes
• Infographics by Clinical Edge

Chapters:

• 00:02:57 - How isometrics emerged as a tendinopathy treatment
• 00:07:00 - How loading helps a tendon
• 00:07:38 - Tendon structure & how to describe tendinopathy to patients
• 00:12:27 - When and why tendinopathy develops
• 00:15:17 - Tendon imaging
• 00:17:38 - Differential diagnosis - Achilles peritendinitis vs mid-portion tendinopathy
• 00:19:35 - Does treatment change tendon structure?
• 00:21:27 - Can we load disorganised areas of tendon?
• 00:22:46 - Do supplements help?
• 00:24:44 - Avoid these in your tendinopathy treatment
• 00:26:47 - Finding the right level of running or load
• 00:28:40 - What causes tendinopathy to develop
• 00:31:52 - When and how to include isometrics in treatment
• 00:36:42 - When isometrics are likely to help or not help
• 00:38:51 - Choosing the starting position for isometrics
• 00:39:38 - How to describe isometrics to patients
• 00:40:23 - How to choose the load for isometrics
• 00:42:53 - When to include isotonics in treatment
• 00:44:03 - Plyometric & Stair loading  
• 00:46:49 - How long should isometric holds be?
• 00:47:26 - Patient advice & discussion