Shoulder Pain and Impingement
Shoulder pain is often a common ailment, but one that can be hard to treat. Because the shoulder is one of the most mobile joints and is used in so many motions, it often leads to overuse or injury. There are many causes of shoulder pain from injury to a muscle or ligament, stress, or poor posture, and many people find themselves living with daily shoulder pain. Chiropractic treatment of shoulder pain or impingement can help decrease the muscle spasms or shoulder joint pain.
What Causes Shoulder Pain and Impingement
Shoulder pain can be caused by any tear, pull, or strain of the muscles in the shoulder. These injuries can range from occasional annoyance to absolute immobility depending on the type of injury. Common complaints of shoulder overuse or injury include rotator cuff pain, pinched nerves, or misalignment. Rotator cuff pain is often caused by overuse of the shoulder over time. Pinched nerves may cause pain that feels like tingling or small needle-like pokes all over the shoulder and arm areas. Shoulder impingement syndrome occurs when the area between the humerus (arm bone) and acromion (tip of the shoulder) is inflamed due to repetitive trauma of raising the arm or an injury such as falling onto your outstretched arm. The supraspinatus tendon and bursa tendon are inflamed and thickened, causing significant shoulder pain. When you experience shoulder pain, you will often notice weakness in the shoulder or arm. You may not be able to move or use it normally because of the pain. Some people will even stop using their arm altogether because the pain is so intense. This can lead to frozen shoulder, when adhesions will stick together and permanently limit arm mobility if not treated. After an initial injury, many are prone to re-injury, causing a build-up of scar tissue and chronic pain. Before your problems become larger, contact a chiropractor for treatment.
How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help Shoulder Pain
Chiropractic treatment focuses on alignment of the whole spine. Because the musculoskeletal system is so connected, even the slightest misalignment can cause pain in different parts of the body, the shoulder being one of them. It is also possible that the shoulder itself is misaligned leading to inflammation, spasms, or pain. A chiropractic adjustment of the shoulder itself, as well as the upper back and neck, could help to alleviate some of the shoulder joint pain. Gently shifting the shoulder joint forwards or backwards, depending on the type of pain, can put the joint back in alignment. In conjunction with alignments, your chiropractor may also use therapeutic treatments such as ice therapy or ultrasound heat waves to reduce inflammation in the shoulder. At home exercises and stretching of certain muscles in the shoulder can help achieve smoother shoulder motion by correcting any muscle imbalance. These chiropractic techniques and therapies can reduce overall pain and inflammation to your shoulder, ultimately returning you back to a much more normal and pain-free lifestyle. To seek chiropractic treatment for shoulder inflammation and pain, call Dr. Jennifer Good at Atlanta Health and Chiropractic.
