While back pain is the most common type of ailment associated with chiropractic care, shoulder pain is close behind in both scope and amount of damage inflicted. This may come as a shock to the unafflicted 60 percent, but around 40 percent of Americans deal with chronic shoulder pain.
What is the root of this problem, which has justifiably been termed as an epidemic? Well shoulder pain, just like back pain, is an overarching term. From pain stemming directly from an injury, like a dislocated shoulder or broken collarbone, to pain as a consequence of muscular or tendon issues, there is no one type of shoulder pain. By getting a better idea of some of the main ones, it becomes easier to both figure out what is afflicting you or your family members, and to learn how chiropractic care can help ease this pain.
Rotator Cuff Issues
Your rotator cuff is the group of tendons and muscles that attach your upper arm bone into the socket of your shoulder, giving you the serious mobility that your shoulder provides. However, we often don’t fully understand our exact range of motion, and over time, our rotator cuffs wear down, becoming thinner and weaker. Pain occurs from many rotator cuff issues, especially tendonitis and tears. These generally result from either overexertion or repetitive motion, and can quickly turn into chronic issues if left untreated, or if the behaviour continues.
Frozen Shoulder
This is a curious condition, which doctors don’t fully understand, but it is still treatable. Its name says it all: people complain of severe stiffness, very limited range of motion, and some capacity of shoulder pain. It isn’t known exactly why frozen shoulder occurs, but doctors do understand that the reason for the ‘freezing’ is typically after your shoulder joints connective tissue suffers inflammation. There are several groups at increased risk of frozen shoulder, based on risk factors such as age, gender, have diabetes or Parkinson’s disease, and long periods of inactivity.
Neck Pain
While the first two injuries are the result of problems directly in the shoulder, a lot of shoulder pain also occurs as a consequence to untreated neck aches. Stiffness and soreness from the neck, whether from bad posture, or poor sleeping positions can quickly turn into chronic shoulder pain as it radiates down through the stiff, tense neck muscles. This is one of the cases where shoulder pain is a secondary symptom, rather than a primary cause.
Chiropractic Care To Relieve Shoulder Pain
Regardless of whether you’re suffering from one of the listed ailments, or any of those left unnamed here, chiropractic care can help to realign your posture and relieve the tension in your joints, muscles, and tendons. Working with a professional chiropractor will not only help to relieve your symptoms, but also help correct your posture to alleviate them in the future. If you are suffering from chronic shoulder pain, contact Petett Chiropractic today, and set up an appointment with our expert team of chiropractic care specialists, to liberate yourself from the strain of shoulder pain.