Upper Body Conditions Treated with Physical Therapy
Our upper bodies enable us to do amazing things, which can make limitations that much more frustrating. Evolution is here to help your upper body heal, improve mobility, increase strength, and create the best outcomes possible. Find out what you’re capable of, starting today.
Common Upper Body Conditions
The following is a list of common upper body conditions that our patients may come to Evolution Physical Therapy for treatment.
Shoulder Conditions
- Impingement Syndrome / Tendinopathy
- Rotator Cuff Pathology
- Scapular Dyskinesia
- Adhesive Capsulitis / Frozen Shoulder
- Labral Pathology
- Shoulder Instability / Dislocation / Glenohumeral Joint
- Total Shoulder Replacement and Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement (TSA / RTSA)
- Acromioclavicular Joint Pathology / AC Separation
- Shoulder Fractures
- Osteoarthritis
Elbow, Wrist, & Hand Conditions
- Tendinopathy / Bursitis / Tennis Elbow / Golfer’s Elbow
- Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries
- Elbow Fractures
- Tendinopathy
- Wrist Fractures
- Elbow, Wrist and Hand Sprains
- Median Nerve Compression / Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Hand Fractures
- Carpal Tunnel
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
See Conditions Treated for Other Body Parts
1. Spine & Pelvic Region
Explore issues we treat related to issues with the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spine, as well as pelvis.
2. Lower Body
Explore issues we treat related to the knee, hip, ankle, foot, and leg.
3. Head & Brain
Explore issues we treat related to head trauma and issues with the cervical and thoracic spine.
Approaching Treatment of the Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, and Hand
Arm pain is an extremely common experience for many. Depending on your age, lifestyle, and life experiences, you may experience stiffness and soreness, chronic aching, limited movement, or weakness. Physical therapy for your shoulder, elbow, wrist and/or hand will vary due to the multifaceted nature of the arm.
Creating Your Treatment Plan
If you have been referred to Evolution by a physician or orthopedic specialist, your treatment plan will be approached in tandem with the recommendations of your doctor. We will do our own examination of your body, assessing your pain threshold, strength, dexterity, and range of motion.
Arm conditions can have several different symptoms, so comprehensively understanding these when creating your treatment plan is important. Questions you should be prepared to answer include:
- Are you feeling any tingling or numbness?
- Do certain movements hurt more than others?
- Is your range of motion limited in some way?
- What is hurting and how much does it hurt?
- What are common physical activities that you have?
- What happened to cause the pain or deficiency you’re experiencing?
- Is the pain a dull ache or more acute?
- Are you experiencing any weakness?
- How long have you been experiencing these symptoms?
Once your physiotherapist has a clear grasp on what you’re experiencing and the extent to which it’s impacting you, your treatment plan will be created. This may require treatment only once a week for a couple of months, or more intensive and more frequent rehabilitation. Therapy treatments for arm conditions will typically include:
- Hands-on treatment, such as Blood Flow Restriction Therapy
- Stretches designed to maximize range of motion in the afflicted area
- Exercises and therapy to improve circulation to the tendons
- Exercises that both strengthen and stabilize the afflicted area
- An at-home routine to help maximize and retain the benefits of your physical therapy.
Hear from Real People about Evolution
Evolution Physical Therapy loves our people, and they love us! Check out what some are saying for reviews.
I am having Physical Therapy to help reduce the pain in my shoulder. I am getting great attention... helping me work on better form with everyday exercises (bench press) and simple exercises that help build the smaller shoulder muscles. Carole has been great. I have just started but already seeing improvement in mobility.
Robert Fogarty
19:25 08 Nov 22
Great place for PT. Krysia is fantastic.
Raymond Fitzgerald
16:04 09 Oct 22
Kara Pilar is a great PT! Very knowledgable and patient--highly recommend!
Kathryn Weber
19:50 08 Oct 22
Can't ask for better care. Nick Davis has been nothing but amazing since I've started working with him. I highly recommend him. I've tried other physical therapists before and none of them come close.
meir gohary
01:39 19 Sep 22
Great local office for PT. Clean facilities and good therapists.
David Golbahar
15:41 24 Aug 22
Working your way back from an injury can be a long and lonely road. And that's why I'm so grateful evolution is helping me back. Parmis greeted me on my first day and immediately put me at ease. She's designed a really smart schedule to get me healed. I actually look forward to coming as I feel better after each session. Parmis is really skilled and knows what you should be doing at various points of healing and makes sure you do exercises right. She also has an intuition of how hard you can push yourself. Her guidance is invaluable as she helps you push yourself to get maximum benefit, but not to the point of doing more harm than good. I'm thankful she's been so patient with me and just a few sessions in, I'm already seeing great results. And I'm confident to make a solid recovery following her plan!
Matt Krantz
05:48 14 Aug 22
Great PT
Jeff Selick
20:16 26 Jul 22
If you are a professional athlete or athletic hobbyist with an injury – Bo is the PT you need! I am a passionate aerialist who tore my distal bicep tendon (intermediate tear) from an unrelated accident. To say I was devastated is an understatement. I went from flying on silks to not being able to lift a glass! Anyone with a serious injury that may limit your day to day, let alone prevent you continuing with your athletic career or passion, can understand that shattering feeling that your old life is over. My surgeon suggested trying PT before the risk of surgery, and I will admit I was skeptical on what I could get from PT after a lifetime of dance, yoga and aerial has given me a decent knowledge of muscles and fitness - but the tendon injury was another beast and the more I learned about the injury the more depressing it seemed. In researching for PT with aerial-like and athletic expertise, I found Evolution and specifically Bo who is a climber and paraglider in his own time among other athletic pursuits.My experience has been beyond what I could have hoped for. Bo is wonderful for anyone with an injury, but definitely for athletes that need a bit more. Throughout my healing journey, Bo has been such a positive force. He listened so carefully at each session and tailored exercises skillfully to the precise muscles I needed to strengthen (or rest), always adjusting creatively as needed. Evolution also has more advanced techniques like BFR which certainly helped in the early stages of healing. I was amazed how quickly Bo got me back to functionality, and he has not stopped until I regained the strength and confidence needed for the aerial silks, working not just the injury but all of the necessary supporting muscles to get me safely back to flying circus style! There are no words for how relieved and grateful I am to be able to get back to my happy place in the aerial silks – and without surgery!!Evolution in general is outstanding and you can’t go wrong with the PT’s there. The staff are all wonderful, the atmosphere welcoming and the sessions always flew by. They handle all kinds of PT patients of all ages but treat everyone with equal patience and encouragement, whether you are just trying to get back to everyday functionality or more advanced athletic pursuits. But if you are a serious athlete that needs help from an injury or surgery, I can’t recommend Bo highly enough to get you back on your feet…or swinging from your arms 😉
Saraswati Yogi
20:27 24 Jul 22
I felt so much better after my first visit.
Jany Davenport
15:04 09 Jun 22
Excellent place to go if you need physical therapy. Been working with Parmis and she's great. In fact, all the staff are super-helpful and pros.
Bill Groak
23:18 01 Jun 22
After three knee surges over the yrs with different therapists, by far Evolution Physical Therapy (BH) has been a good choice for rehab on my partial knee replacement. Physical Therapist Kara Pilar has exceeded my expectations. . Her pt knowledge, care and attention to your physical requirements is impressive. She cares about healing the injury and controlling your physical pain to best treat the knee, leg and associated muscles and tendons allowing one to quickly gain back the movement and flexibility to the knee. I would highly recommend Kara Pilar as your Physical Therapist at Evolution Physical Therapy (BH).
Kenneth Katich
19:24 26 May 22
Great sports focused physical therapy place. Hands on therapy that you don't always find in other places. Thorough initial evaluation with range of motion measurements and friendly staff. Highly recommended.
Rohit
23:41 06 May 22
Nick Davis has been my physical therapist at Evolution - which I’m attending for arthritis in one hip and both knees - and he’s been just great. He explains the exercises well, checks carefully at each follow up and makes adjustments and additions, and answers all my questions clearly about what the exercises do for my joints. Most of all, working on the exercises has made a considerable improvement to my comfort level; most of the time I’m totally pain free!
Anthony Elman
02:13 06 May 22
Evolution PT have a great business ethics, the whole staff from the front desk to the physical therapists and assistance physical therapists are dedicated individuals that care about their customers/patients. Fantastic Team and I would recommend this place to anyone that is going through a physical rehab. Thank you for all you do!
Chicco Falco
16:24 03 May 22
It was great!
Dalana Lopez
03:18 26 Apr 22
Michael and Evolution have been incredible to work with during my running & fitness journey. I started seeing Mike in the summer of 2021 and haven't looked back since. He has brought my running strength and performance to a new level and I am so grateful for that.On top of this, the PT assistants are incredible and the hardworking individuals at the front desk could not be nicer.10/10 experience and I would recommend Evolution to anyone.HUGE thank you to Mike and the Evolution team.
Nicholas Ventura
14:29 30 Mar 22
Friendly place with terrific people. I've enjoyed my time here tremendously - getting movement back in my foot and improving my balance.
Terry August
15:42 02 Mar 22
Found Ethan to be highly knowledgeable and engaged Physical Therapist. Ethan's care is designed to get me mobile and back to the physical activities that my injuries have prevented me from doing. A world of difference from the place I went to previously.
Leslie Minniti
03:42 02 Mar 22
Kara Pilar and her team are excellent! Outstanding PT facility.
Shannon Millard
20:21 26 Jan 22
I highly recommend Evolution Physical Therapy and Fitness from my personal experience. I regained faith and hope that my knees will get better with professional guidance from Jennifer and the team at Evolution Physical Therapy and Fitness.
Nina Brody
07:28 14 Jan 22
David Monte at Evolution PT and Fitness is a great physical therapist. He got me back on my feet after a bad case of hip bursitis.
Wendy Wright
21:27 01 Jan 22
I have only great things to say about the Beverly HIlls branch of Evolution Physical Therapy and Fitness. I am working with a young, talented and truly helpful physical therapist named Ethan. He is really thoughtful and encouraging and I actually look forward to going to PT to work out a tricky problem with my foot. All of the PT Assistants are lovely and supportive. The location is organized well. Very clean. I would say it's managed very well. Great experience overall.
Michele Romero
05:12 24 Nov 21
I was seen and evaluated by Jennifer at Evolution PT. As a doctor, I have very high expectations. Jennifer was extremely thorough in her evaluation. She took detailed notes and really took the time to explains things to me.Jennifer is a outstanding therapist and I highly recommend her and Evolution PT.
Sedatedsk8er
17:22 03 Nov 21
I came to Evolution because of severe back pain. On my first visit I was impressed by the amount of time my PT, Nick Davis, spent on diagnosing the source of pain and developing a treatment plan which would allow me to do a lot of strengthening work at home and minimize the number of visits. His recommendations were right on the spot and allowed me to reduce pain quickly and eventually become pain free.Nick is thorough, professional and friendly. I can't thank him enough for helping me recover quickly.The office is clean and follows safety protocols. My appointments were around lunch time and I've never had an issue with street parking close to the office.
Mikhail K
08:02 07 Oct 21
The team at Evolution is the absolute best! After a year of knee pain that had kept me from some of my favorite activities I finally sought treatment with Evolution after recommendations from multiple athlete friends. My PT, Mike Herrera, is so wonderful to work with. He efficiently identified underlying issues that were contributing to my pain and helped me correct and strengthen them. My knee is now completely pain free and I'm back in the squat rack regularly for the first time in a year. Mike goes above and beyond by making himself available for questions and support between appointments should you have a flare up or encounter issues with your PT homework. Further, every single aid and admin staff member have been a pleasure to interact with as well - shout out to Marisa and Anisha! Evolution's staff are enthusiastic, warm, encouraging and challenging. I cannot recommend them enough!
Lia Beauchemin
19:28 04 Aug 21
I never leave reviews, but I can’t say enough positives about Jennifer Unterreiner and Evolution Physical Therapy. I had done physical therapy in the past and it was never successful. Lots of massages and manipulations that felt good in the moment but did nothing to alleviate the pain and problems longterm. Jennifer and Evolution have managed to actually tackle the problems with instructive ways to actually work on fixing my issues — and there have been many from hip, knee, toe, neck and back — and better yet, providing insightful ways to mitigate those problems returning in the future. And Jennifer has also worked in concert with my Drs for a holistic approach that can’t be matched.
Tracey Bing
17:39 25 Jun 21
Alison is great!! I've been seeing her for a few months for a combined ankle-knee-hip issue that a few other therapists hadn't managed to figure out, and I'm back to all my sports and managed to avoid surgery. I think the attention she paid to my specific circumstances and goals really made the difference and got me where I wanted to go.If you want strength building focused, evidence based, thoughtful care, this is where you want to go.
Allen Nikka
03:43 28 May 21
Allison Edwards is my therapist. Competent, caring, kind, attentive.She is great to work with!
Nina Nahmouli
16:20 15 Apr 21
If you’re looking for a good PT, I’d go here. Brooke knows what she’s doing and has helped me so much already. Pain levels are down and now I know what I need to work on. Thanks !!!
Re CH
01:54 01 Apr 21
David & the team has been incredible. Truly has made a huge positive impact on my healing from injury and in getting strong and confident again.
Alison Freed
23:09 23 Mar 21
Everyone is very polite and great! Brooke has been amazing with my recovery. She is very strong and able to assist me with my Physical therapy needs.
Jeremy Boswell
02:41 23 Mar 21
David is very personable. He explains his goals and why we are doing certain exercises. He pays attention to me and what I am capable of , pushing me to do as much as I can, but not to the point of more problems.
Barbara Kingsley
01:47 11 Feb 21
Bo was super helpful and knowledgeable. i would highly recommend him!
Eric Duffy
00:07 05 Feb 21
Five Stars for Dr. Bo! I had a wonderful experience at Evolution Physical therapy. Everything from start to finish was fantastic, and I'd highly recommend this if you're looking for a great physical therapy spot. Dr. Bo was thorough, knowledgeable, and helped me heal a chronic injury. Additionally, I always felt very safe and well cared for in terms of COVID precautions. Also, special thank you / shoutout to PT Aide Sal - he was also wonderful. Thank you, Evolution PT!
Katie
04:41 04 Feb 21
Love the 1 on 1 attention and the friendly staff!
Whitney Williams
04:27 09 Jan 21
Evolution Physical Therapy is the absolute best for your physical therapy needs. After being hurt in 2 very bad accidents, I'm literally ready to dance! My therapist, Jennifer Unterreiner, is awesome! I've learned so much and performed better under her care. In over thirteen years of recovery, my only regret is not finding them sooner!
Harley Arty
13:13 23 Dec 20
Brooke is a wonderful therapist, who works you hard but gets obvious results. I'm recovering from a ruptured bicep and torn rotator cuff and she knows instinctively how far you can go - and then pushes you juuust a bit further. An expert and tuned in practitioner, I recommend her highly!
Fuzzbee Morse
01:55 21 Oct 20
Professional, friendly staff. No waiting time with clean and up to dateequipment. A pleasure if you must rehab.Special thanks to Brooke
Damian Hanlon
12:50 05 Aug 20
I don't usually leave reviews. Excellent work, effort, and dedication deserve recognition in my opinion though, so here we go.So far, my experiences with my physical therapist, Nick, have been nothing short of outstanding. He is knowledgeable, dedicated, and clearly a talented mind. Maybe most importantly, he is kind, attentive, and seemingly indefatigable. I highly recommend him to anyone in need of quality care!
Gyve Hamidi
05:42 29 Jul 20
I had Adelle as my PT and she was great. She took the time to really work on my shoulder and figure out what exercises I needed to do based off of the pain i was having at the moment. She also knew when it was time to focus on certain strength exercises once I was more comfortable/stronger.Overall great experience, friendly staff, and flexible hours.
Oliver Soble
23:42 11 Jun 20
Nick and the team at Evolution PT can best be described in one word - AMAZING. Friendly, fun and informative. Best PT I’ve been to.
Jenna Elfman
03:02 05 May 20
Evolution is a fantastic place for physical therapy, and Nick is a fantastic physical therapist. He really listens to me and adjusts the program accordingly. Highly recommend
Austin Giangeruso
02:39 29 Mar 20
Very patient and professional instructors who explained my concerns!Nick and Brook answered my questions regarding healing process.
Terrie Scott
00:52 15 Mar 20
Quality service, knowledgeable, prompt, "clean", caring.
Donald Harvey
15:40 12 Mar 20
I love this place and working with my PT - Adelle has been amazing! You can tell they know what they are doing. I’ve always been concerned with an injury like mine happening and not finding a physical therapist that pushes me to get to where I need to be. All the staff is great and friendly!
taira hernandez
06:10 10 Mar 20
Shout out to an amazing team and a special thank you to Adelle for putting in as much heart as I did during this recovery process. Wouldn’t have made it this far without all the unconditional support.
hanna rashidi
00:06 04 Mar 20
I had a mountain biking accident which required a couple of surgeries including an rotator cuff repair. After my shoulder surgery, I went to physical therapy through the hospital diligently, but found that I was having persistent pain even after 6 months. At that point, I decided to try Evolution based on a patient’s recommendation.I couldn’t be happier with the results. After a few months, my shoulder has made stellar progress and is nearly back to 100%. I’ve worked with Brooke who is simply amazing. Every session with Brooke is different — she asks me how I’m doing and evaluates my arm at the start. From there, she tailors the hands-on work and exercises to focus on the area that is holding me back. This has meant that I make progress on every session rather than going through a routine where progress starts to taper off.After seeing Brooke a couple times a week, I’ve now graduated to their weekly classes and check-in with Brooke every couple of weeks. This evolving approach to care is fantastic — it gives me the opportunity to keep improving without sliding back.Everyone at Evolution is exceptional. Most sessions, Marissa and Tyler and coached me through the exercises and always strike the right balance between challenging me and providing encouragement. Allison runs the weekly classes and is wonderful as well. She is so attentive and empathetic, she makes the group classes feel like 1-on-1 sessions.If you are struggling with pain or need help recovering from an injury, I couldn’t recommend Evolution more highly. They are incredibly knowledgeable and will do everything possible to put you on the right path.
Ravi Mehta
19:29 22 Feb 20
I had ACL Reconstruction surgery in my left knee and also had my Meniscus trimmed. My Orthopedist recommended Evolution Therapy for my rehabilitation, and I am incredibly happy with his recommendation. Doctor Jennifer Unterreiner and her team have been amazing! I feel that her methods and support are the right balance of pushing an individual to their limits, while emphasizing that its a process. Take it day by day. Don't rush yourself, just push yourself everyday and you'll get to your goals! Thanks again team! Getting back to working out and achieving my goals means everything to me. I highly recommend this clinic!
JohnPaul SanAntonio
23:19 15 Feb 20
Highly recommended for ACL injury/surgery recovery!I can't thank Lauren and the rest of the team at Evolution Physical Therapy enough for helping me recover from ACL surgery. This was my second time tearing my ACL in the same knee and though my first tear was over ten years ago, I know that this recovery period was a lot faster and just better overall. Some of this can be attributed to improved surgical procedures and great Orthopedic surgeons, but I feel like the Physical Therapy was what really made the difference.Lauren really took the time to develop a customized program for me and adapted the exercises as my strength grew, and unlike my physical therapy regimens from the past, the exercises and methods that are used at Evolution Physical Therapy are not as isolated - they also work on strengthening and balancing the other muscle groups in the body that help to further lessen the risk of injury. She was also great at recognizing when my body/knee was able to handle more despite my being hesitant (I think she could also tell when I was just being lazy, so don't try to fake it with her!). I believe that extra motivation is another reason for my especially accelerated recovery.I'm honestly amazed at what I was able to accomplish within my twice weekly 1-hour sessions with Lauren and I'm really going to miss the incredible team at Evolution Physical Therapy.
Liene Zemjanis
17:51 27 Dec 19
Very friendly and helpful staff, especially my physical therapist, Alison. I've started going here last week and I already love it! I have already started seeing improvements and can't wait to see how much I progress through my physical therapy at Evolution.
Sara Dzigurski
21:52 14 Dec 19
Allison brought me back from edge!I never thought too much of physical therapy when I had it in the past. Evolution changed my mind and soul.After a torn tendon in my ankle, I was out of commission, in a boot for months. Already on the wrong side of a healthy life style things didn't look so good.Allison has helped me not only heal and strengthen the damaged area, but she has incorporated a vast array of related therapy to help me avoid re-injuring myself.Everyone I've worked with at Evolution is great and professional.We need more of these people in the world!Thanks again Allison.Christopher
Christopher C
21:37 18 Nov 19
Brooke is a wonderful physical therapist. I broke my tibia and fibula, and feel very comfortable and reassured in her care. Evolution is also very well equipped and staffed. Very happy to have found Brooke!
Paula Woods
01:37 31 Oct 19
The staff and therapists are all very friendly and caring. I began to feel so much better after just a couple of weeks!
Elizabeth Gebauer
18:18 24 Oct 19
Oh my goodness, Jennifer did in 45 minutes what I had not been able to do in two weeks! My rotation in my right arm felt frozen at a specific point and after she (gently, like feather-touch gently) worked that area, I was actually able to remove my shirt without having to bend over. It was AMAZING! 😍 Thank you Jennifer and thank you Evolution Physical Therapy, I am truly looking forward to my continued visits (and who can say that about PT? 😳 🤗).
Kelley McAuliffe
14:32 12 Oct 19
Friendly and knowledgeable staff.I broke my humorous bone and was in a lot of pain my physician was very careful with my treatment to make sure that I know what I need to do to make sure that I work on my arm and yet do not feel any pain while doing it.
Anna kreymer
00:41 11 Oct 19
Alison and the entire team is super professional and caring- great great great
Fountain Yount
15:43 28 Sep 19
Was really appreciative of the experience I had with my first time needing physical therapy. Could not have asked for a better place to visit for what I needed. I’m already referring others because it was really great.
Alexander Woodall
17:11 20 Sep 19
Brooke is amazing!
Chava Oved
19:54 29 Aug 19
The team at Evolution is just fantastic. Everybody is so attentive and positive as well as knowledgeable about all things PT. It makes going there a couple of times a week a pleasant experience. I love these guys! Thank you Evolution PT!!!
Laurie Trotta
20:04 10 Aug 19
Evolution is a clean well staffed and well equipped facility in a convenient location with plenty of 2 hour free parking. I like the therapists and the assistants. The only possible downside is that it is sometimes difficult to get appointment unless you plan ahead
Richard Klug
02:37 18 Jul 19
Amazing physical therapists and PTAs! 5 stars all the way—Jen, Brooke, and Lauren have all been fantastic and are steadfastly helping me to recover 💪👌
Nadia Jasmina Dargani
04:01 27 Jun 19
Very caring and knowledgeable therapist has made excellent improvements on my mobility following spine surgery.
William Wallace Feuer
05:15 19 Jun 19
Good improvement.
Mitch Bottler
06:17 22 May 19
Although I just started PT at Evolution Beverly Hills, thus far I am very happy with my physical therapist Adele. She is knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. Since my car accident January 2018 I have tried other physical therapists with little relief from neck pain. Adele demonstrated home exercise which is actually helping me on a daily basis.Asked the others for home exercise and they had an excuse, I'm not ready yet. At Evolution, I get the feeling Adele wants me to get better - the others wanted me to keep coming to therapy.
Jay Harvey
15:30 04 Apr 19
Incredible staff and facility. I was having extreme knee pain and the combination of work done during sessions, at home exercises and fixing my form on multiple exercises has made a world of difference!
Lucas Mayer
16:35 20 Feb 19
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