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The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
Dennis O’Hara, DC, CCSP
Shoulder Pain A Chiropractic Perspective
American Wellness & Chiropractic
. https://www.americanwellnessandchiropractic.com/

Shoulder Pain A Chiropractic Perspective

Most physicians are familiar with cases where the patient visits their office complaining of shoulder pain and stiffness. This may be accompanied by complaints of neck, upper back pain and stiffness. One common denominator in most shoulder pain cases is that the patient often has poor posture, which changes the angle at which the shoulder complex functions.

This change in the biomechanics of the shoulder complex leads to abnormal forces upon the tendons and ligaments of the shoulder. In order for the shoulder to exhibit full range of motion there must be ample range of motion within these areas of the spine.

An example of this may be if the shoulder is protracted by tight pectoral muscles and a rounding of the posture. Not addressing this issue will lead to the condition becoming chronic because of the changes in the aforementioned forces across the shoulder joint complex.

Identifying the biomechanical changes and challenges are key to recovery. Once the evaluation is completed, the physician will order any testing if necessary (MRI, x-rays) and the course of treatment will be determined.

Unfortunately most shoulder conditions stem from chronic causes mentioned above and cannot be completely resolved without addressing the postural changes present in the patient. Other difficulties exist with labral tears, osteoarthritis within the glenohumeral joint causing chronic tendonitis and anatomical variations of the acromion process causing stenosis for the supraspinatus tendon.

Treatment from a chiropractic sports physician’s perspective consists of addressing the biomechanical changes in the shoulder joint, the neck, and the spine. Restoring proper motion within the spine can afford greater range of motion for the shoulder. Addressing the postural changes will lead to a more lasting recovery.

Applying physical medicine techniques (active release, Graston techniques, therapeutic stretching and exercises, kinesiotaping) help facilitate recovery. There are cases which do not respond in a timely fashion and working with an orthopedist can help with cortisone injections into the shoulder joint (for osteoarthritis and adhesive capsulitis patients) can benefit the patient’s progress.

Shoulder pain comes in many varieties including; bursitis, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, labral tears, adhesive capsulitis and rotator cuff tears to name a few. The chiropractic sports physician is trained to properly identify the problem and treat the patient as mentioned above. Working with medical physicians to help the patient achieve their goals is always an important aspect of a comprehensive treatment plan.

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