04/22/2026
67% of Americans will experience shoulder pain at some point in their lives.
That's a staggering number, but it doesn't mean 67% of people have a damaged or "bad" shoulder.
Here's what most people don't know:
Researchers have MRI'd people with zero shoulder pain and found rotator cuff tears, bursitis, and labral issues on the images.
The same structural findings that doctors point to in people who are hurting show up in people who feel completely fine.
Which means the structure on the scan is often not what's actually driving the pain.
So what is?
Most shoulder pain in active people comes down to four things:
limited mobility in the shoulder, shoulder blade, or upper back; strength deficits especially at end range; mechanics breaking down under load or volume; or doing too much too soon.
The better question is never "what does the MRI show?"
It's "what is the environment of this shoulder like, and what do we need to change?"
That's what we work through with every patient.
We start by getting you feeling better in daily life, then focus on how you move and lift, then build you up strong enough that you're playing offense with your health, not just putting out fires.
Shoulder pain is more solvable than most people think. Link in bio to book your evaluation in Memphis.
