No. Impingement describes pain from compression and overload of the tendons and bursa under the bony roof of the shoulder, while a tear is structural damage to the tendon itself. The two can overlap, and long-standing impingement pain sometimes sits alongside tendon changes. Testing strength against resistance in specific positions helps separate them, and treatment differs in how quickly load is progressed.

Impingement limits movement because of pain; frozen shoulder limits it because the joint capsule tightens. With frozen shoulder, someone else moving your arm for you does not increase the range, particularly when rotating the arm outwards. With impingement, you often keep most of your passive range even when lifting the arm yourself is painful. That difference changes the treatment plan significantly.

Many physiotherapists and researchers now use “subacromial pain syndrome” instead. The older term suggests the problem is purely mechanical pinching, when research shows tendon capacity, load history and pain sensitivity all play a part. The name matters clinically, because it shifts treatment away from simply avoiding movement and towards building tolerance in the tendons.

Not on its own. Bone spurs and variations in the shape of the acromion appear on scans of plenty of people with no shoulder pain at all, so they are a possible contributor rather than a verdict. Your response to graded loading and the way symptoms behave day to day tell your physiotherapist more than the shape of the bone does.

Yes, though it is usually pain limiting the muscle rather than true loss of power. When lifting hurts, the rotator cuff switches on less effectively, and strength drops over weeks of guarding the arm. Weakness that persists when the movement is not painful is treated differently, so your physiotherapist tests strength in positions that reduce compression.

Posture is one factor among several, not the cause on its own. Sustained positions matter more than shape: hours of typing with your arms unsupported or reaching forward for a mouse loads the shoulder without variation. Adjusting chair height, keyboard distance and armrests helps, but it works best combined with strengthening, because the tendon still needs capacity.