Shoulder injuries can affect anyone. From high-level athletes to sedentary individuals, everyone is susceptible to a shoulder injury of one type or another.
Shoulder pain can develop from tons of different underlying causes. In this article, we’ll look at some of the top injuries that cause shoulder pain and then discuss 3 ways in which chiropractic care can help with this tricky condition.
Common Shoulder Injuries
Depending on your activity level, you may suffer from a number of different shoulder injuries. In this section, we’ll explore some of the most common shoulder injuries overall.
Rotator Cuff Tears
The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that all act to stabilize the shoulder. These muscles are known as the supraspinatus, the infraspinatus, the teres minor, and the subscapularis.
Most commonly, a “rotator cuff tear” refers to an injury of the supraspinatus muscle or tendon. This fragile tendon is in a vulnerable position on the shoulder, making it susceptible to high levels of strain.
Rotator cuff tears can vary in the level of pain they cause. Some people will suffer unbearable levels of discomfort when they tear their rotator cuff, while others will barely notice any difference at all.
Radiculopathies
A radiculopathy is a nerve injury of the spine which causes radiating pain down a limb. Radiculopathies can occur anywhere in the body, but they commonly present as pain in one or both shoulders due to a pinched nerve in the neck.
These injuries require careful management and can take a long time to heal. Often, radiculopathies will also be accompanied by tingling, numbness, and weakness, in addition to pain.
Shoulder Joint Injuries
Contrary to popular belief, the “shoulder” is a collection of joints, not just one joint. Therefore, these complicated joints can each become injured when placed under stress.
A patient may injure their SC joint, AC joint, or GH joint. Each of these injuries can accurately be classified as a “shoulder injury”.
3 Ways Chiropractic Care Can Relieve Shoulder Pain
Chiropractors can work wonders for patients with shoulder pain. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which chiropractic care aids those who are recovering from shoulder injuries.
Reduced Muscle Tension
Chiropractic adjustments can often make muscles throughout the body feel much looser. With regard to shoulder pain, this reduced tension makes motions such as reaching, throwing, and lifting infinitely more tolerable.
Realigns Spine
Often, our spines can fall out of alignment. This is a normal situation that occurs in everyone from time to time. In some cases, certain stretches, movements, and exercises can help to realign the spine.
However, some spinal misalignments require the skilled hands of a chiropractor. By pushing in specific directions on specific parts of the spine, your chiropractor can help you achieve optimal alignment. This often leads to reduced pain throughout the body, including in the shoulder region.
Increases Range of Motion
Many of our daily activities require significant ranges of motion from our shoulders and the surrounding structures. Reaching for a kitchen item, opening and closing doors, and even driving a car all necessitate full, pain-free shoulder range of motion.
Chiropractic treatments can often improve shoulder range of motion significantly, making these tasks less painful and easier to accomplish as your shoulder heals from whatever injury you may have sustained.
If you’re reading this article, you’re likely suffering from shoulder pain yourself. You don’t have to deal with this painful condition any longer! Book your appointment with Keystone Chiropractic, the Plano chiropractor, today.
