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Recently we have noticed that a new trend in injuries is appearing—rotator cuff injuries from virtual reality gameplay. The virtual reality world is fast progressing, and new injury mechanisms are rising with it. Traditionally rotator cuff injuries have resulted from trade jobs or acute trauma on the sports field. If I think back over the years, the most common reason for damage to the rotator cuff has been working overhead or a contact injury in sport. Recently, this injury to the rotator cuff still exists. However, we have treated numerous patients in the last few years with acute shoulder pain from virtual reality gameplay.
My recent case is a young player from Drummoyne who had previously presented with lower back pain from hours spent in the chair playing virtual reality games. Last week this patient booked back in and said, “I’ve done it again; my shoulder is aching from this new game I’m playing”. It turns out that this game involves a lot of overhead activities like climbing ladders and interaction where your arms are up. After about three months of playing, he noticed a pain in the front of his shoulder when his arms exceeded his shoulder height. He played on without thinking much of it and figured the pain would disappear. It did not, and he ended up in front of us. By the time he presented to us, he had been in pain for quite a while. To treat the injury correctly, we ordered an ultrasound of the shoulder. The results showed supraspinatus tendinopathy and bursitis in the shoulder.
Bursitis generally begins from overuse of the shoulder joint, from my experience with a tendon or rotator cuff muscle injury. Rotator cuff injuries are commonplace and something we treat a lot of. Trade jobs are a common cause of this type of injury because often, people have to work in awkward positions or are repetitively performing the same action. Returning to my patient from Drummoyne, the repetitive action of performing overhead activity even with a lightweight caused the shoulder injury. Often we find in such cases; the patient is not correctly using the shoulder, which places increased stress on the tendons, muscles and bursa. This was the case here.
If you present when pain begins, rotator cuff injuries can be fixed. Listening to your body is essential. The shoulder joint is a complex joint of muscles, ligaments, tendons and bursas. If you feel pain in or around the joint, seek treatment or advice early for the best prognosis.
If you present when pain begins, rotator cuff injuries can be fixed. Listening to your body is essential. The shoulder joint is a complex joint of muscles, ligaments, tendons and bursas. If you feel pain in or around the joint, seek treatment or advice early for the best prognosis.
When you experience pain, the first step is to avoid further irritation of the rotator cuff and bursa. To do this, we look at what you have been doing daily. Unless you have had trauma to your shoulder, there will be a day-to-day activity that has injured your shoulder. To stop further damage, we advise you to limit the use of your arms above your shoulder height and avoid carrying heavy objects. After establishing the cause of your injury, the next step is hands-on care.
Improving shoulder joint mobility is always the priority of hands-on care. The reason for this is multi-factorial. Improved mobility means increased blood flow to the area, which is necessary for healing. Mobility is essential to decrease the chance of further injury and significantly reduce the body-producing inflammation in the area. Our hands-on care involves massage, stretching and mobilisation. However, other options are available in long-term or chronic cases, like PRP injections.
After returning mobility to the region, we need to address your strength and stability. When an injury occurs soon after (as little as 48hours), you begin to lose power and stability in the region. We address building your strength and stability back up to a level that will protect your shoulder moving forward. Check out our functional exercise page to learn more about the benefits of correctly rebuilding your strength.
Rotator cuff injuries and bursitis are common injuries. Over the years, we have seen patients in highly repetitive jobs or sporting injuries with rotator cuff injuries and bursitis. Recently there has been an increase in the number of patients with screen-based jobs and from virtual gameplay presenting with these injuries. It is essential when you experience pain in or around the shoulder to be diagnosed early and change any activities which may be causing your pain. Early intervention will stop you from developing a chronic problem, which is harder to fix.
Osteopathy is more than just a treatment—it’s a comprehensive approach to understanding and improving your body’s musculoskeletal health. By focusing on how your muscles, joints, and body systems work together, osteopaths provide personalized care that goes beyond temporary relief.
In the modern workplace, shoulder repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) have become an increasingly prevalent health concern that affects millions of workers across various industries. These painful conditions develop gradually, often resulting from repeated movements, poor ergonomics, and sustained postures that place excessive stress on the shoulder muscles, tendons, and joints. Understanding the intricacies of shoulder RSIs is crucial for both employees and employers to prevent long-term damage and maintain optimal workplace health.
About
Five Dock Osteopathic & Chiropractic is located in Canada Bay, in Sydney’s Inner West. Servicing suburbs including Burwood, Croydon, Drummoyne, Five Dock, Haberfield, Concord, Abbotsford, Chiswick, Leichhardt, Wareemba, Russell Lea, Summer Hill, Strathfield.
Clinic hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 7AM – 7PM
Wednesday, Friday 7AM – 5PM
Saturday 7AM – 2PM
Sunday Closed
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