Chiropractic and Shoulder Pain Shoulder pain is an extremely common complaint, and there are many causes of this problem. We have listed some of the most common conditions here to help you get an idea what they are and what chiropractic treatment can do to help.

When do you need to call your Chiropractor about your shoulder pain?

Like any other pain condition, the sooner you get appropriate care the quicker the pain will go and allow you to go back to normal activities, the sooner you get appropriate care the less likely you are to get a recurrent and chronic problem.

If you are unsure of the cause of your shoulder pain, or if you do not know the specific treatment recommendations for your condition, you should seek Chiropractic help. Treatment of these conditions must be directed at the specific cause of your problem to be effective.

Some signs that you should be seen by a Chiropractor include:

• Inability to carry objects or use the arm
• Injury that causes deformity of the joint
• Shoulder pain that occurs at night or while resting
• Shoulder pain that persists beyond a few days
• Inability to raise the arm
• Swelling or significant bruising around the joint or arm
• Signs of an infection, including fever, redness, warmth
• Any other unusual symptoms

What are the best treatments for shoulder pain?

The treatment of shoulder pain depends entirely on the cause of the problem. Therefore, it is important for the chiropractor to accurate diagnose the problem before any treatment can start. If you are unsure of your diagnosis, or the severity of your condition, you should seek advice before beginning any self-treatment. Not all treatments listed here are appropriate for every condition, but may be helpful in your situation. Just remember, resting and taking painkillers only, is not a treatment that is likely to help your shoulder in the long term. But may well be part of what you need to do when the treatment start.

• Rest: The first treatment for many common conditions that cause shoulder pain is to rest the joint, and allow the acute inflammation to subside. It is important, however, to use caution when resting the joint, because prolonged immobilisation can cause a frozen shoulder.

• Ice and Heat Application: Ice packs and heat pads are among the most commonly used treatments for shoulder pain.

• Stretching: Stretching the muscles and tendons that surround the joint can help with some causes of shoulder pain. A good routine should be established, and following some specific suggestions will help you on your way.

What are the Causes of Shoulder Pain?

Here is a list of some of the most common causes for shoulder pain, for a more detailed explanation please click on the condition.

Referred pain from the neck

When the structures in the neck are painful, the pain is often felt over the shoulder. It is important to remember this and your chiropractor will always examine your neck when you come in for shoulder pain.

Bursitis/ Rotator Cuff Tendinitis = Impingement syndrome

The most common diagnosis in patients with shoulder pain is bursitis and tendinitis of the rotator cuff musculature causing impingement syndrome.

Rotator Cuff Tear

Different degrees of rotator cuff tears can occur. If the tendons of the rotator cuff separate from the bone, surgery is sometimes necessary.

Frozen Shoulder

Also called ‘adhesive capsulitis,’ this is a common condition that leads to severely restricted movement of the shoulder.

Calcific Tendinitis

Calcific tendinitis is a condition of calcium deposits within a tendon – most commonly within the rotator cuff tendons. Treatment of calcific tendinitis depends on the extent of symptoms.

Shoulder Instability

Instability is a problem that causes a loose joint. Instability can be caused by a traumatic injury (dislocation), or may be a developed condition.

Shoulder Dislocation

A dislocation is an injury that occurs when the ball-part of the shoulder joint (top of the arm bone) slips out of the socket (part of the shoulder blade).

Ligament injury (Acromio-Clavicular Tear)

Also called an A/C separation, these injuries are the result of a disruption of the acromio-clavicular joint. This is a very different injury from a gleno-humeral dislocation.

Labral Tear

There are several patterns of a torn labrum and the type of treatment depends on the specific injury.

Arthritis

Shoulder arthritis is less common than knee and hip arthritis, but when severe may require a joint replacement surgery. However, arthritic changes are more common in the acromio-clavicular joint between the collarbone and the shoulder blade.

Biceps Tendon Rupture

The upper part of the biceps tendon can rupture and cause shoulder pain.

Referred pain from internal organs

It is important to remember that pain from the gall bladder can be felt over the right shoulder and pain from the pancreas can be felt over the left shoulder, and most importantly, heart attacks can refer pain into the left shoulder and arm.

Chiropractors are trained in medical diagnosis and one of the priorities in the examination is to rule out more serious medical conditions before any treatment can start. For more information on how chiropractic can help, contact us. We'll take good care of you!  530-5775433

We have been providing chiropractic in the South Lake Tahoe for over 22 years now. During this time we have come to realize three things:

1. Many chiropractic patients and prospective chiropractic patients prefer a walk in chiropractor vs. making an appointment. They like to know they can just walk-in when they feel the need.

2. Busy athletes, parents, office workers and executives do not have much of a tolerance for long wait times. Little to no wait times are best.

3. The food must be great. What we mean by this is the chiropractic consumer expects high quality care from the doctors and staff…and they want it with a smile.

Well, this is the basic foundation of Safe Haven Chiropractic in South Lake Tahoe off Ski Run Blvd.  Drop in anytime and get what you need, a affordable drug-less approach to health and wellness.

Whether you are suffering with back, neck or wrist pain from long hours of sitting and repetitive use of the upper extremities or a sports injury from weekend warrior or elite athlete activities, we can help. We also specialize in the nonsurgical treatment of herniated and bulging herniated discs.  With a blend of chiropractic care, myofascial release, progressive rehab and massage. 

To find out more about our  Chiropractic Clinic online. You can request a complimentary insurance benefits check or if you are not sure this is the right place for you? Well, we want to see if this care is right for you too! Schedule a FREE consultation and let's find out!  And one more thing…

Prepare to be impressed!

Dr. Josh
530-577-5433

Over 1 million people are injured in rear-end collisions each year in the US, and many of these “minor” crashes result in real injuries. In fact, research shows that many people develop chronic pain from these types of car crashes. Chiropractic is one of the best ways to treat and recover from auto injuries. By restoring your spine to it’s healthy functioning without drugs or surgery, it’s the perfect approach.

Here’s why chiropractic is the best way to treating your auto injury pain:

1. Chiropractic Reduces Inflammation 
During a crash, the ligaments and muscles of your spine can be stretched or experience micro-tears. X-rays or MRI scans usually aren’t sophisticated enough to diagnose these kinds of injuries, but this tissue damage causes the area to become inflamed. Many times, an auto injury patient won’t feel much discomfort immediately after the crash, but they wake up the next morning to a stiff and painful neck. This is caused by the body’s inflammation response to these micro-lesions.

A 2010 study (1) found that chiropractic adjustments actually helps the body release anti-inflammatory Interleukin 6 (IL-6), an important substance created by your body that’s used to help heal acute injuries.

2. Chiropractic Restores Motion 
Another problem with inflammation is that the tissues become immobile, which can slow healing to the area. Ligaments of the spine don’t get many nutrients or blood supply normally, and this becomes even more difficult when inflamed and injured.

During a chiropractic adjustment, the joints of your spine are mobilized, which helps increase blood flow and healing nutrients to the area.

3. Chiropractic Reduces Scar Tissue
 Your body heals ligament, tendon, and muscle injuries by creating scar tissue. Scar tissue in an injured area is made up of the same kind of cells as the original tissue, but it’s laid down rapidly and randomly as a temporary “patch” on top of the damaged area.

If you get scar tissue in a large muscle, it can be uncomfortable for a while until you stretch it out, but it most likely won’t cause any long-term problems. Scar tissue in the ligaments of your neck or back, however, can be much more debilitating, since we can’t stretch it out ourselves. Your chiropractor focuses the adjustments on these specific vertebral joints that are fixated, effectively stretching them and breaking up the scar tissue in the joint.

4. Chiropractic Relieves Localized Pain 
Over the last 20 years, countless studies have demonstrated that chiropractic adjustments are a safe and effective way to reduce pain. In fact, a 2013 study (2) found that 94% of patients experienced neck pain relief with manipulation!

5. Chiropractic Reduces Pain in Your Whole Body 
Many auto injury patients develop more widespread pain after a crash, especially if the original injury wasn’t treated promptly. A 2014 study (3)  reported that people who received a chiropractic adjustment had increased levels of pain-reducing hormones in their bloodstream.

6. Chiropractic Relieves Stress 
A car crash is a very stressful life event, especially if you’re in pain. When your body is exposed to trauma, it goes into a flight or fight response, which can result in anxiety, depression, and stress. A 2011 study (4) used PET scans to look at the brains of people who received chiropractic adjustments for neck pain. They found that those patients had reduced brain activity in the parts of the brain responsible for pain processing and stress reactions. They also had significantly lower levels of cortisol, indicating reduced stress. Participants also reported lower pain scores and a better quality of life after treatment.

Reducing your overall level of stress is important, because, left untreated, stress can also slow recovery time and increase your risk of developing chronic pain.

7. Chiropractic Works! 
Researchers have recognized that chiropractic is a great way to help people recover from auto injuries for many decades. In 1996, British researchers (5) found that 93% of auto injury patients with neck pain experienced dramatic improvement with chiropractic care.

In 2015, an Ontario, Canada government group (6) agreed that spinal manipulation, combined with staying active and continuing to work, are the most important factors in recovering quickly from car crash injuries.

If you’ve been injured in a car crash, you don’t have to suffer from chronic pain. Chiropractic is a great way to help your body heal from all kinds of injuries.  We see many patients who have suffered injuries from accidents and we help them become pain and symptom free.  Give us a call for a free consultation.  530-577-5433

Sources

1. Roy RA, Boucher JP, Comtois AS. Inflammatory response following a short-term course of chiropractic treatment in subjects with and without chronic low back pain. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine 2010;9(3):107-14.
2. Masaracchio M, et al. Short-term combined effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation and cervical spine nonthrust manipulation in individuals with mechanical neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2013;43(3):118-27.
3. Plaza-Manzano, G, et al. Changes in biochemical markers of pain perception and stress response after spinal manipulation. Journal Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2014;44(4):231-9.
4. Ogura T, Tashiro M, Masud M, Watanuki S, et al. Cerebral metabolic changes in men after chiropractic spinal manipulation for neck pain. Alternative Therapies 2011;17(6):12-7.
5. Woodward MN, Cook JCH, Gargan MF, Bannister GC. Chiropractic treatment of chronic ‘whiplash’ injuries. Injury: International Journal of the Care of the Injured 1996;27(9):643-645.
6. Wong JJ, Côté P, Shearer HM, Carroll LJ, Yu H, Varatharajan S, Southerst D, van der Velde G, Jacobs C, Taylor-Vaisey A. Clinical practice guidelines for the management of conditions related to traffic collisions: a systematic review by the OPTIMa Collaboration. Disability & Rehabilitation 2015;37(6):471-89.