Shoulder Pain

Chiropractic Care for Shoulder Pain: How to Find Relief from Your Pain

Your daughter pitches in her school's sports softball league and has pain in her shoulder. This joint pain seems to be getting worse over time and many nights are spent with ice on her shoulder to get some pain relief. Her life is a cycle of pain and her health is at risk.

Will chiropractic care and chiropractic adjustments help with this issue or is seeing a medical doctor a better solution? You don't want her to depend on a regimen of NSAIDS or narcotic medication, and you also don't want her to have surgery. What are the benefits of chiropractic adjustments? And what can she do now to alleviate that shoulder condition and discomfort as she becomes an adult?

Symptoms and Causes of Shoulder Pain

The shoulder joint is the most movable joint in the body and one that experiences a great deal of stress. Its wide range of motion is created by four muscles and their tendons. This is called the rotator cuff.

Call 208-991-2684 to learn more about our chiropractic shoulder pain treatment options.

Symptoms

The symptoms of damage to the rotator cuff are:

Pain or dull ache deep in the shoulder.
Pain when lifting or lowering the arm, or other arm and shoulder movements.
Weakness when lifting or rotating the arm when doing normal daily tasks like reaching, dressing, cleaning.
Tearing sensation or popping in your shoulder.
A crackling sensation in the joint when moving your shoulder
Disturbed sleep, especially when lying on the side affected by your rotator cuff injury.

Causes

Here are some causes of shoulder joint pain:

Arthritis in the shoulder joint
Bone spurs in the shoulder area
Bursitis, or inflammation of a fluid-filled sac (bursa) that normally protects the joint and helps it move smoothly
Broken shoulder bone
Dislocation of the shoulder
Shoulder separation
Frozen shoulder, when the shoulder muscles, tendons, and ligaments become stiff and lose flexibility and mobility
Overuse or injury of tendons
Injury of nerve injury leading to abnormal shoulder movement
Tears of the rotator cuff tendons
Poor shoulder posture and mechanics

How does chiropractic care work to relieve shoulder pain?

Nearly four million people in the US each year obtain chiropractic care for shoulder pain. In fact, shoulder pain accounts for 10% of all visits to a chiropractor and is the third most common reason for visits to the chiropractor.

Chiropractic care focuses on adjusting the spine and other joints in the body to reduce pain and improve function. The chiropractor first assesses the shoulder joint and surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments to determine the cause of the pain and confirm a diagnosis. Once the cause is pinpointed, the chiropractor and their staff develop a treatment plan to work on the problem.

A chiropractic visit for shoulder pain will utilize different chiropractic techniques for each patient. The severity of the pain level and the underlying cause of that pain are the most significant factors the chiropractic team will consider. Patients will begin with an examination of the shoulder to include ultrasound, rest, X-rays, scans, use of a tens unit, or other tests, which will be followed by the manipulative treatments chosen to assist in relieving the patient’s pain and restoring function. The techniques could include gentle stretching and massage and then more aggressive manipulations of the joints and muscles such as electrical stimulation. The goal of any chiropractic treatment is to reduce pain, reduce inflammation, improve the patient’s range of motion and bring the patient to recovery.

How effective is chiropractic care for shoulder pain?

Studies have shown chiropractic care is an effective treatment for shoulder pain. Patients’ pain was reduced significantly and the disability caused by the pain was also reduced. In fact, evidence supports chiropractic manipulative therapy as an acceptable option for back, neck, and shoulder pain, as well as the treatment of many extremity conditions. There is a very low risk of serious side effects, also. In general, chiropractic care has shown to be more effective than medical care when dealing with shoulder pain, all with little use of medications or addictive drugs.

Successful chiropractic therapy includes other evidenced-based interventions such as massage, exercise therapy, and educational information on activities that can help. A 2021 research project, reported in an article by Frontiers in Pain Research, indicated that spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) is at least as effective as medication and physical therapy for neck & shoulder pain. The combination of SMT and exercises may be one of the best approaches for the relief of shoulder pain.

So, your daughter’s pain is in good hands with a chiropractor. Call and get started today!

If you are looking for shoulder pain therapy in Meridian, ID, go with Build Platform. We can help you reach the road to recovery by using chiropractic treatments and spinal manipulations to help with pain relief, soreness, aches, discomfort, and swelling. Our professionals can help anyone dealing with shoulder pain.

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