Shoulder Pain
Are you suffering from a sore painful Shoulder?
Having trouble raising your arms above your head or sleeping on your side? Finding it difficult to lift things with your arms or carry your kids or grandkids comfortably? Are your shoulders holding you back at the gym and slowing your progress or affecting your sports? Are your shoulders feeling stiff and sore at the end of the workday? A shoulder injury can significantly impede you from doing simple movements and everyday activities. Shoulder pain is a common problem for people living in Prahran, Windsor and Melbourne generally. About 1 in 10 people will experience shoulder pain in their lifetime.
Shoulder conditions that restrict movement are very common and are mostly caused by injuries affecting the shoulder joint, muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, this high degree of flexibility makes it more prone to injuries than other joints of the body. Since the nerves that supply the shoulder and arm originate from the neck and upper spine, conditions involving the neck can also commonly contribute to pain in the shoulder. In most cases, successful treatment of a shoulder problem needs to address the muscle balance of all these parts.
What is causing your shoulder pain?
There are many causes of shoulder pain, and surprisingly not all of them are from the shoulder joint or its surrounding structures.
Any of the following injuries can cause a painful shoulder:
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Acromioclavicular (A/C) Joint Injury - An injury commonly due to trauma to the A/C joint located at the tip of the shoulder.
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Shoulder Bursitis - a bursa is a small fluid-filled sac that reduces friction between two structures, such as bone, muscle and tendons. When it becomes inflamed, it can cause pain and limit mobility.
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Frozen Shoulder - or 'adhesive capsulitis' is where the shoulder builds up significant scar tissue causing the joint capsule to contract and severely limit shoulder flexibility.
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Rotator Cuff / Impingement Syndrome - the rotator cuff is a group of four muscles from the shoulder blade. These muscles can become irritated or torn, usually due to chronic 'wear and tear' associated with repetitive actions over a period of time.
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Neck & Upper Back - joint dysfunction on the neck or upper back or the associated nerves can be a source of shoulder pain.
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Osteoarthritis - wear or damage to the cartilage (smooth cushiony material that covers the bones where they meet) which usually occurs from injury, accidents or general wear and tear.
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Ligament Injury - ligaments are soft tissues that connect bones to bones. They provide stability by keeping bones where they need to be. Injury or sprain to ligaments can cause short term pain and normally associated with injuries or trauma.
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Referred Pain - pain can be referred to the shoulder from other structures such as the abdomen (for example gallstones) or chest (for example angina or heart attack).*
*Chiropractors are trained to recognise and identify more serious forms of shoulder pain and refer out to appropriate health care professionals.
Diagnosing your shoulder pain
To be able to determine the cause of your shoulder pain, your Chiropractor will conduct a full physical, postural, orthopaedic, and neurological examination of the shoulder and cervical and thoracic spine.
Your Chiropractor will ask you to perform shoulder range of motion and muscle strength tests. Where you feel the pain at rest and during movement as you move your shoulder provides important clues as to the root cause of the shoulder pain and the best approach to help.
How can Chiropractic help?
Chiropractic treatment begins by naturally relieving pain and inflammation through gentle Chiropractic adjustments. Specific soft tissue techniques directed to the appropriate areas of the shoulder girdle or rotator cuff muscles and tendons aim to improve range of motion and function of the shoulder, cervical and thoracic spine. Your Chiropractor will provide you with appropriate rehabilitative mobility and strengthening exercises to complete at home to assist in your recovery. This combination will help to stabilise your shoulder and reduce the risk of further injury or aggravation.
At Dr Nathan's Chiropractic Studio, we take a holistic approach to ensure the best outcomes for our patients by looking at lifestyle factors that could be inhibiting your recovery and helping you address them, to not only help you recover faster, but set you on a path to greater health and wellbeing.
Dr Nathan's Chiropractic Studio is located in Prahran / Windsor serving patients from South Yarra, Toorak, Malvern, St Kilda, St Kilda East in Melbourne's inner south eastern suburbs . Dr Nathan's Chiropractic Studio is located just off Chapel Street, near the corner of High and Chapel Street. Conveniently located within a 10 minute walk to Prahran or Windsor train station.
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