Conditions
Shoulders reward precise diagnosis.
Shoulder pain has many authors: the rotator cuff, the bursa, the labrum, the AC joint, sometimes the neck. Sorting out which structure is actually driving symptoms is what makes treatment precise.
Evaluation
How a shoulder visit is structured.
- History including overhead demands, trauma, and prior treatment
- Strength, range of motion, and provocation testing
- Dynamic ultrasound to watch tendons and bursae in motion
- Review of MRI and X-ray against the examination findings
- Distinguishing shoulder sources from referred neck pain
- Ultrasound-guided diagnostic or therapeutic procedures when indicated
Common conditions evaluated
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy and tears
- Subacromial bursitis / impingement
- Calcific tendinitis (including barbotage)
- Labral tears and instability
- AC joint arthritis
- Biceps tendon problems
Request a shoulder evaluation ↗ Ultrasound-guided procedures ↗
General education only - this page does not diagnose a shoulder condition or recommend a treatment.
The evaluation
How Dr. Goldwaser evaluates a shoulder.
A shoulder visit starts with what the shoulder has to do, especially overhead. Dr. Goldwaser takes a history tied to mechanism and demand: a fall, a gradual overload, years of throwing or lifting, then tests strength, range of motion, and provocation patterns by hand. Dynamic ultrasound watches the rotator cuff and bursa glide under the acromion in real time, and any prior MRI is read against what the examination finds, not instead of it. When the neck could be sending pain south, that gets sorted out too, before a written plan covers activity, rehabilitation, and - only when they earn a place - procedure options.
Treatment options
Most shoulder problems have an answer here.
Every plan starts with naming the right structure: cuff, bursa, labrum, joint, or neck, because each one is treated differently.
A · Care through the practice
Care available through the practice
- Accurate diagnosis first: many “impingements” are cuff, bursa, labrum, or neck problems in disguise
- Image-guided injections for bursae, joints, and tendon sheaths
- Orthobiologic procedures for selected cuff and tendon conditions
- Barbotage for calcific tendinitis
- Activity modification and load management for overhead athletes
- Structured rehabilitation with clear milestones
If your case needs care outside the practice, including surgical care, Dr. Goldwaser will refer you to the right specialist.
Recovery
Rehabilitation starts the plan, not ends it.
Shoulder procedures are scheduled alongside rehabilitation, not instead of it. After a guided procedure or biologic treatment, you leave with written aftercare, activity limits, and milestone-based criteria for returning to overhead activity, because restoring strength and mechanics is what protects the result.
Have a question about shoulders?
Send it through the practice contact form. The right team will respond. Please don’t include symptoms, diagnoses, test results, or other clinical information.