Understanding the Benefits of Chiropractic Treatment for Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is a widespread complaint among adults, and in most clinics, it is the third most common presenting condition. Shoulder pain can impact everything from your ability to sleep to completing everyday tasks, such as lifting a heavy object or reaching overhead. While many people associate chiropractors primarily with back and neck issues, chiropractic care can also play an important role in diagnosing, treating and managing shoulder pain.
If you live in Portchester or the surrounding areas and are struggling with persistent shoulder discomfort and/or limitation in shoulder movement, this post will help you understand the benefits of chiropractic treatment for your shoulder pain and what to expect from your care.
Common Causes of Shoulder Pain
The shoulder is a complex joint with a wide range of motion. Unfortunately, this range of motion and the natural process of aging change can make your shoulder susceptible to injury and dysfunction. Some of the most common causes of shoulder pain include:
- Rotator cuff related pain (from repeated or over loading)
- Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
- Shoulder impingement (as a result of rotator cuff changes)
- Referred pain from the neck or upper back
What many people don’t realise is that shoulder pain can also be as a result of spinal issues, particularly in the neck (cervical spine) and upper back (between shoulder blades); (thoracic spine). Pain that is located in a different area than the injury is known as referred pain and the shoulder is the area that pain is referred to from the neck. Chiropractors are professionally qualified to assess these interconnected systems, and identify the underlying cause of your shoulder discomfort.
How Chiropractors Approach Shoulder Pain
At Hutchinson Health, our approach begins with a thorough medical history, physical examination of the painful region and associated areas, gaining an understanding a number potential causes for your pain, including:
- Joint and muscle mobility testing
- Orthopaedic and neurological checks
- Medical history review
Once the cause of your shoulder pain has been identified, your chiropractor may use a combination of techniques to provide relief and improve function. These could potentially include:
Spinal adjustments – to restore movement to spinal vertebrae that may be irritated and contributing to referred shoulder pain.
Joint mobilisation – gently increasing range of motion in the shoulder joint.
Soft tissue therapy – reducing muscle tension and possible inflammation.
Postural advice and ergonomic guidance – especially important if your pain is related to poor desk habits or manual work where there is a need to manage loading to aid healing and prevent/ reduce future episodes.
Rehabilitation exercises – to appropriately load tendon and supporting muscles to restore normal motion to the shoulder, reduce pain and reduce recurrence.
When Chiropractic Care Works Best
Chiropractors are also trained to assess and treat rotator cuff irritation or impingement, whether a mild or moderate case. Injury to the shoulder commonly takes more time to heal and we can manage you through the full recovery phase.
In more severe cases, such as full-thickness rotator cuff tears, your chiropractor will refer you to a specialist or collaborate with your healthcare provider for imaging such as ultrasound and x-ray ensuring appropriate referral and treatment.
The Benefits of a Natural, Hands-On Approach
One of the biggest advantages of seeing a chiropractor for shoulder pain is the focus on natural, non-invasive care. Rather than masking symptoms with medication, chiropractic care aims to firstly correctly assess and give a clinical impression of the underlying issue that is causing the pain/ discomfort and limited mobility. This approach to treatment helps in the initial stages of treatment to manage and reduce pain levels, help restore range of motion, educate regarding better posture and exercise regimes that will help in the future.
Chiropractic Care can Help
If shoulder pain is interfering with your lifestyle, don’t wait for it to get worse. At Hutchinson Health you can either book a free no obligation 30 minute consultation to meet us and understand if Chiropractic is the right treatment for you. Or, if you are ready to book, book an appointment online or with the reception team.
We aim to help identify the root cause of your discomfort, create a personalised care plan to aid healing as quickly as possible and get you moving again, safely and naturally.
