SHOULDER PAIN
Many shoulder pain is often misdiagnosed by most doctors, and is often ignored or covered up by prescribing anti-inflammatories, steroid shots, painkillers, etc. Let's understand the anatomy better:
The shoulder is comprised of several joints that are held together with tendons and muscles. The shoulder joint made up of the glenoid fossa and the humeral head form a ball and socket joint. This type of joint allows for great range of motion. With increased joint motion, less stability is present. To help stabilize the joint during these large movements the shoulder had many muscles and ligaments that provide support to maintain the joint position. Most shoulder injuries are due to damages acquired by the soft tissue.
Most shoulder problems can be categorized into three major categories:
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Tendonitis - A tendon is the soft tissue structure that connects muscle to bone. When a tendon is irritated because of shoulder misalignment or repetitive activities overuse, it can become inflamed and this is called Tendonitis, which over time can alter the motion of the joint leading to extreme wear on the soft tissues and eventually the tendon can begin to tear. When a tear is present in the 4 most prominent muscles of the shoulder it is referred to as a rotator cuff tear. At the early and intermediate stage, chiropractic care is effective and helpful.
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Bursitis - A bursa is a fluid filled sac that allows for easy movement of the muscles and ligaments over bone. When the bursa becomes inflamed it is called Bursitis. Bursitis is often the result of excessive and/or improper use of the shoulder. Bursitis can be very painful and can be debilitating. When the condition advances to the point that the joint is unable to function, the resulting condition is called frozen shoulder. This could be corrected with chiropractic care in most cases.
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Injury/Instability - The ball and socket shoulder joint allows for a lot of motion but little stability, making it more susceptible to dislocation or subluxation. When injuries are not corrected by a chiropractor, it can lead to reoccurring dislocations and further damage in the future of the soft tissue structures. Our team is trained to evaluated and rehabilitate you shoulder to prevent or reduce the frequency of future dislocations.
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Arthritis - Over time these various injuries and micro traumas cause inflammation and irritation of the shoulder joint, which lead to arthritis, with pain and swelling that can affect motion and quality of life. When the arthritis becomes severe enough it can cause bone spurs that can rub on the tendons and muscle of the shoulder resulting in rotator cuff tears down the road or joint stiffening up and eventually will no longer function. This can be prevented with chiropractic care.
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With the shoulder joint it is important to not ignore even minor pain. Pain is an indication that there is a problem and when ignored a small easy to treat problem can latter become a much bigger issue.
When you come in, we can evaluate your shoulder and help to restore normal function and reduce inflammation with the use of Chiropractic instrument adjusting, cold laser therapy and the use of rehabilitative exercises that will help to put the shoulder joint back in balance. Call now 502-839-7171.