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

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