Chiropractic Treatment of Shoulder Pain

Whether you’re in pain suffering from a post-dislocated shoulder because of a sports injury or some form of tendinitis that’s affecting the shoulder and neck area, shoulder pain can make it difficult to perform everyday activities that are important for work, school, and living a normal life. No matter the cause of your pain, among the most effective treatment options for shoulder pain is chiropractic care. This is a type of conservative care that’s completely non-invasive yet is still able to provide a substantial amount of relief from pain. While you’re considering all of your treatment options, make sure that you know what chiropractic treatment is and the types of benefits that it can provide.

Types of Shoulder Pain and Injuries

While the shoulder is a tough and durable area of the body, it’s also prone to being injured because of how often it’s used for all kinds of different activities. Certain conditions and diseases can also lead to the development of shoulder pain. While small amounts of shoulder pain are easy to handle without treatment as you wait for the pain to dissipate, moderate to severe pain can take much longer to go away on its own. It’s also possible to injure the area further if you attempt to go about your life without getting rid of some of the pain.

A few of the more common types of shoulder pain include tendinitis, the inflammation of the bursae in your shoulder, a dislocated shoulder, a frozen shoulder, a rotator cuff injury, and various sprains and strains. A loose or unstable joint in the shoulder may also cause you to experience pain. Although less common than hip and knee arthritis, it’s possible for a case of arthritis to adversely affect the shoulder, which usually leads to dull and aching pain that won’t go away until treated.

The frozen shoulder condition occurs as the result of the capsule surrounding the shoulder joint contracting or becoming what’s referred to as adhesive capsulitis, which is a tightening and inflammation of the shoulder capsule. This particular condition occurs because of an acute injury or chronic problem that was never addressed beforehand or was treated improperly. This form of treatment allows you to avoid more invasive options such as surgery.

What Is Chiropractic Care?
If you’ve never obtained chiropractic care before, this treatment is designed to provide you with non-invasive and alternative solutions that can relieve your pain and reduce inflammation. If the pain is being caused by an injured joint or a post-dislocated bone, chiropractic care can oftentimes address these issues without requiring you to obtain surgery. Most of the treatments provided with chiropractic care take the kinetic chain into account, the upper portion of which consists of the shoulder blades, shoulder joint, mid back, and neck. An injury or dysfunction in any of these areas can lead to the development of pain in any other location of the kinetic chain, such as the back or neck. The pain that you experience in your shoulder or shoulder girdle can stem from the joints below, above, or on the opposite side of the affected area.

Chiropractic care uses a variety of treatment options to reduce this pain, which may include the application of heat and ice, muscle relaxation techniques, electronic stimulation, exercises, and dietary supplements if needed. Many of the injuries and conditions that can cause shoulder pain are able to be reduced in severity or healed altogether with chiropractic treatment. By addressing the source of your shoulder pain, this pain should be reduced or eliminated completely during chiropractic care. The application of this treatment might be able to relieve pain you never thought could be treated. Even chronic injuries can be addressed in a manner that helps to reduce the amount of pain the affected individual goes through.

When to Seek Chiropractic Treatment

The presence of shoulder pain may not indicate that there’s anything wrong with you. However, leaving this pain untreated can eventually cause the problem to become a chronic or recurrent issue. In general, it’s recommended that you seek chiropractic treatment as early as possible after you’ve first noticed that you’re suffering from shoulder pain. Since the shoulder pain treatment is non-invasive, there’s no harm in obtaining this type of treatment. If you’re having difficulties determining whether your pain is severe enough to warrant chiropractic care, there are some signs that can help with this decision.

If your shoulder pain continues to bother you for more than a few days and shows no signs of getting better, it’s recommended that you at least schedule a consultation with a chiropractor. You also want to seek this type of care if you’ve been suffering from recurrent shoulder pain over the years. Even if the pain goes away on its own every time it occurs, it’s possible that the root cause of the pain can be treated, which may be able to stop the pain from recurring in the future.

If you’re having problems carrying different objects in your arm or find that there’s a substantial amount of swelling along your upper arm and shoulder, you’ll want to get the problem treated immediately. You should also look out for any signs that you’ve developed an infection in the area, the primary of which include redness, fever, swelling, and warmth. Infections can worsen and spread, which is why early treatment can be very beneficial.

How Chiropractic Treatment Can Relieve Your Shoulder Pain
Before any chiropractic treatment begins, the cause of your shoulder pain will be diagnosed to determine what the exact treatment plan should be. Many types of shoulder pain occur because of damage to the muscles or joints in the vicinity of the shoulder, all of which can be treated with chiropractic care. The pain that you’re experiencing may originate along your cervical spine or in the triceps muscle that’s found in your upper arm. It’s also possible that an injury to the subscapularis muscle below your shoulder blade has brought about the pain that you’re going through.

Because your mid back, neck, and shoulder joint are all part of a similar kinetic chain in your body, issues that stem from the dysfunction of one or more of these areas can cause additional problems and injuries around your neck or shoulder that lead to shoulder pain. If the chiropractor on hand is having issues with identifying the cause of your pain, an x-ray, MRI, or similar type of imaging scan may be provided to help with the diagnosis. Once a complete and thorough diagnosis has been made, a treatment plan will be created that’s specific to your exact needs. Your chiropractor will likely provide you with some rehabilitation exercises and stretches that you can perform to help relieve your pain. Stretching the tendons and muscles can be highly effective at reducing the amount of pain and inflammation that you’re experiencing. The same is true with rehabilitation exercises.

Health Benefits Provided By Chiropractic Care
Even though chiropractic care is a non-invasive treatment, this type of treatment has proven to be very effective at providing a wide range of benefits relating to many injuries around the shoulder and within the shoulder girdle. The reduction of pain and discomfort is the most obvious benefit that will invariably occur if you’re found to be a good candidate for chiropractic care.

By directly addressing the cause of the pain, you should begin to experience some pain relief even after a single treatment session. Decreased inflammation should also occur. Many injuries to the shoulder result in swelling and inflammation, the presence of which typically causes pain to worsen. The reduction of swelling in your shoulder should lessen your discomfort. Other health benefits to look forward to include improved flexibility, enhanced range of motion, and better muscle tone and strength in the treated area.