Chiropractic Treatments: Shoulder Pain
The shoulder joint consists of many tendons (attach muscles to bone) and ligaments (attach bone to bone) which reinforces its action. Pain can be due to dislocation of joints, trauma, accident, tendon inflammation, fracture, rotator cuff disorder or any sports injury. Sometimes pain in the shoulder is not actually originating in the shoulder, but it can be due to the radiation of pain like pain in the neck. The cause of shoulder pain should be diagnosed accurately in order to provide appropriate treatment. This joint is surrounded by many arteries, nerves, veins and soft tissues so any dislocation may damage them and cause severe pain. Shoulder pain is a very common complaint and patient usually feels pain after using shoulder joint. If pain persists without any movement then you should seek medical attention.
When to consult a Doctor?
- If you are unable to rotate your shoulder
- If you feel pain while using your shoulder
- Unable to raise the arm
- Any visible sign of deformity or dislocation
- If you are unable to carry objects
- Swelling or bruising of the shoulder joint
- Shoulder pain that persists for more than a week
Causes of Shoulder pain
- Inflammation of tendon or bursae
- Arthritis
- Dislocation of shoulder
- Separation of shoulder
- Rupture of biceps tendon
- Rotator cuff tear
- Fracture
- Gout
- Frozen shoulder
Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractors are trained to treat musculoskeletal problems. You should not only rely on painkillers. The chiropractor will not only check your shoulder, but they will do a full physical examination to ensure the cause and origin of the disease. They will take history regarding your lifestyle, any previous illness, medications and family history. This integrated approach will help the chiropractor to properly diagnose the problem. Chiropractic techniques relieve the pressure on the spinal cord by realignment of misplaced vertebrae. Chiropractor gently applies pressure to the vertebrae and reposition it and also advice you other treatments like traction, stretching and specific exercises. Chiropractors are not only trained to treat back pain, but they are also experts in treating other joints of the extremities like knee, shoulder and other small joints.
Before a workout, it would be better to do some warm-up exercises like Codmans arm swing for your shoulders. This exercise is performed by leaning your body forward until the shoulders become perpendicular to the ground, and then swing both arms in small circles. This exercise also helps to treat postural syndrome.
Treatment
- Percussion
- Deep tissue treatment
- Cold laser
- Ultrasound
- Manual therapy
- Chiropractic adjustments