You don’t need a diagnosis to start fixing your shoulder
Shoulder pain rarely shows up with a clear label. It might hurt when you lift overhead, throw, sleep on your side, or reach behind your back. Some days it feels tight. Other days it feels unstable or weak. At Petroski Physio, you don’t need to know what your shoulder pain is called to get started. Our job is to identify why it hurts, how it’s being stressed, and what needs to change so you can move confidently again.
Nick Petroski, DPT
Petroski Physio
The Real First Step: Understanding the Pattern
Shoulder pain is rarely about one structure. It’s usually the result of how the shoulder, scapula, and trunk work together, or don’t.
Before we talk about exercises, we focus on identifying:
When your pain shows up
Which movements feel limited or unstable
How your shoulder responds to load and fatigue
This step gives clarity. Once we understand the pattern, treatment becomes specific, not generic.
Common Pitfall #1
Resting until the pain “goes away.” Symptoms may improve temporarily, but without addressing the underlying movement issue, pain often returns once activity resumes.
Common Pitfall #2
Doing random exercises found online. Strengthening without understanding why your shoulder hurts often leads to frustration and stalled progress.
Our Approach
Non-surgical shoulder rehab isn’t about chasing a diagnosis, it’s about restoring how the shoulder functions under real-world demands.
Phase 1: Calm symptoms and restore control
We reduce irritation while improving shoulder and scapular movement. Early work focuses on control, coordination, and reducing unnecessary stress.
Phase 2: Build capacity and resilience
Strength and endurance are progressed based on how your shoulder responds to load. We prepare your shoulder for lifting, throwing, or daily activity, not just isolated exercises.
Phase 3: Return to unrestricted movement
Overhead activity, sport-specific motions, and higher loads are reintroduced intentionally. Progression is guided by movement quality, tolerance, and confidence.
My son is a college baseball player who separated his shoulder during a game. This injury resulted in an extensive labrum tear, with a large hill-sack lesion. After a long long surgery to repair the damage, he started therapy with Nick at Petroski Physio. The entire staff was great they treated him as if he were a family member. His therapy was great. Nick and his staff were super knowledgeable when it comes to working with athletes to get them back on the field. I would highly recommend Petroski Physio.
FAQs
Rehab, different.
Not a clinic. Not a gym.
A place built for progress.
A team built for performance.
A culture built for you.
Recovery Stories
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