Chiropractic is known for treating multiple joints in the body, and the shoulder is no exception. Shoulder issues are very treatable if caught early, and many times patients will leave them for too long for fear of medications or potential surgeries. A majority of people, 67%, may develop shoulder pain at some point in their life, and the potential of shoulder pain increases with age as many joint issues do. However, in this day and age, it is also common amongst adolescents due to an uptick in technology usage. Shoulder issues are not only painful, but also can potentially affect daily activities, and chiropractic treatment not only offers relief but allows the body to restore itself in a gentle manner.
Shoulder Pain Basics
The shoulder is a very complex, and this is the reason that the shoulder pain can be caused by a multitude of things. It can be caused by everything from a straightforward injury to general overuse. Additionally, what makes shoulder pain complicated, is that even though the patient may be experiencing pain in the shoulder the real issue may be elsewhere in the body. Referred pain can be difficult to pinpoint, and is usually caused by stomach issues, heart disease, or pelvic conditions. As chiropractic providers, it is essential that we note if the shoulder pain gets worse with movement or not as this can indicate where the true issue lies.
Shoulder Pain Causes:
- Bad posture
- Rotator cuff problems
- Overuse (this can be from exercise or just simply overuse from something in daily life)
- Arthritis
- Dislocation
- Bone spurs
- Frozen shoulder
- Impingement
- Joint instability
These are only the most common causes, but there are many causes for shoulder pain. Although it would depend on what caused the shoulder pain, the accompanying symptoms can help indicate the direction a treatment should go so it is best for patients to get specific on the specific symptoms they’re feeling.
Potential Symptoms of Shoulder Pain:
- Hindered range of motion
- Arm, neck or back pain
- Muscle weakness or stiffness
- Redness/warmth on the shoulder
- Grinding or popping feeling when the arm moves
Although there are some instances where traditional medical attention is necessary, utilizing chiropractic for shoulder pain can boost the body’s healing abilities and potentially avoid the need for surgery.
Chiropractic for Shoulder Pain
Chiropractic treatment has been shown time and time again to help with shoulder pain through hands on experience and recent research.
Chiropractic Research:
- Patients received manual manipulations from chiropractors and patients experienced exceptional pain relief as well as reestablish their range of motion.
Molecular Foundations of Chiropractic Therapy, 2019:
- It was found that there are a variety of biological reasons as to why chiropractic treatment is paramount for all types of musculoskeletal pain. One Chiropractic encourages repair and growth of the nerves and muscles by stretching the spinal muscles, and this study “identified a set of genes and some functional polymorphisms in specific genes that could be correlated with better response to chiropractic therapy.”
Since each patient is different depending on their shoulder pain, chiropractic treatment is that much more beneficial as there are a wide variety of tools/treatment options at our disposal rather than the one-size-fits-all option of standard care.
Chiropractic Tools/Techniques for Shoulder Pain:
- Graston Technique – utilized to encourage range of motion
- Alignment – utilized to reduce pain and increase range of motion with alignment being focused on the shoulder, scapula, and clavicle.
- Electronic Stimulation – utilized for pain relief and muscle stimulation
- Myofascial Release – eases tense muscles and releases the fascia
- Ultrasound – improves blood flow, and decreases inflammation to boost healing
- Articulatory – improves range of motion in the shoulder joint
Benefits of Chiropractic for Shoulder Pain:
- Increase shoulder range of motion and alignment with adjustments
- Relieve tight muscles utilizing soft tissue therapy to break up adhesions
- Stretching and strengthening exercises customized to the patient’s unique shoulder pain
- Decrease pain by correcting any misalignments which will decrease inflammation as well.
- Increase blood flow by bringing the shoulder back into proper position so that the vessels will not need to stretch to get where they need to go.
As with other musculoskeletal chiropractic treatments, it is equally as important to be sure that our patients have the care they need at home as well as in the office. One of the worst things that our patient can do is get a successful chiropractic treatment only to leave our office and continue to do activities that exacerbate the shoulder pain. It is best for us to stress as much as we can our shoulder pain patients to not do activities that make the pain worse. Essentially, our patients should be careful with swimming, lifting, reaching, and throwing when it comes to their shoulder pain.
Exercises for Shoulder Pain:
- Standing Arm Swings – a simple and beneficial warmup exercise to boost blood flow to the shoulder, and increase flexibility and range of motion.
- Perform this exercise: have the patient engage their core while swinging the arms forward to their highest point without raising the shoulders. Bring the arms back down to the starting position and repeat the exercise for 30 – 60 seconds.
- Shoulder Pass-Through – allows the shoulder muscles to engage and encourage mobility in the joint, and requires a long stick such as a broomstick or PVC pipe.
- Perform this exercise: have the patient stand with their feet shoulder width apart with their arms in front of the body. Hold the long stick overhand and parallel to the floor with feet standing at wider than shoulder width. Have the patient engage their core while raising the stick/bar above the head slowly keeping the arms straight going only as far as it’s comfortable for them. Hold this pose for only a few seconds then return to the starting position repeating this action 5 times.
- Rows High to Low – this works the thoracic and upper back muscles to be able to support the shoulder joint, and requires a resistance band.
- Perform this exercise: have the patient fasten the resistance band to a solid object above their shoulder height. They will kneel down on one knee while grabbing the resistance band with the opposite hand of the kneeling knee. The other hand will rest at the side. Then, the patient will pull the band toward them keeping the arm and middle straight with the goal of squeezing the shoulder blades together. Do 3 sets of 10 on each side.
It is also of course to advise patients to stretch after exercise or following warm up including both static and dynamic stretching. Another important portion that patients need at home when healing from shoulder pain is ice. It is an anti-inflammatory, which is vital when it comes to shoulder pain as the pain is most often coming from inflammation. Ice will aid in decreasing this inflammation as well as lessen pain. As with any other condition that we treat as chiropractic providers, it is essential that patients maintain a healthy lifestyle, good posture, an ergonomic workspace, avoid activities that put strain on the shoulder, and of course, keep regular chiropractic adjustments for maintenance and healing.