We have all heard that expression before especially in today’s busy world: be the pressures of work demands and home commitments. Add to the mix global events that play out daily with an uncertain measured outcome and voila….we are walking around with our shoulders to our ears.
Working in front of a computer causes our shoulders to round forward putting more strain on an already susceptible area (see blog: Are You Suffering from Text Neck?). Shoulder pain is a common complaint I see most frequently in my practice. In this blog I will discuss 3 of the most common types of shoulder pain and what can be done to effectively treat and prevent them from recurring: frozen shoulder, impingement syndrome and rotator cuff dysfunction.
Frozen Shoulder
This happens usually after a traumatic injury such as falling on ice and landing directly onto the shoulder. The initial response will be to “baby” the arm and not move it because of the pain. When this occurs, the shoulder joint becomes “seized” as the muscles and ligaments shorten to protect the injured joint eventually losing complete range of motion (ROM) ie vacuum sealed!
Acupuncture, massage/physical therapy incl chiropractic and Radial Pulsed Shockwave Therapy are very effective treatments to help reduce the pain associated with Frozen Shoulder and restore ROM. When the proper exercises are given at the appropriate time, I find a 95% success rate can be achieved with this protocol.
Impingement Syndrome
As the name implies, the shoulder joint becomes pinched or “impinged” due to the collar bone not articulating properly with the tip of the shoulder blade. This usually occur with repetitive activity such as racquet sports, swimming, throwing a baseball or simply any prolonged overhead activity.
Both chiropractic care and Radial Pulsed Shockwave Therapy combined with the proper exercises will help improve ROM and restore functional mobility of the shoulder in the shortest amount of time.
Rotator Cuff Dysfunction
The rotator cuff is a name given to a group of 4 small muscles that anchor the arm to the upper back through the shoulder blade. It allows for smooth articulation of the arm while stabilizing it through its various degrees of movement. Athletes who actively engage in any overhead throwing activities ie baseball, football and swimmers find that this type of repetitive mechanism will lead to weakening of the rotator cuff. When this occurs a small tear can happen and if left untreated can cause a rupture and instability within the shoulder joint. This can also occur in the elderly population as the joint itself can “weaken” with age and usage over time.
To prevent a trip to the surgeon, again I find that Radial Pulsed Shockwave Therapy to be very effective in reducing the pain and inflammation associated with this condition. Kinesiotaping can help to stabilize the rotator cuff during healing while the proper exercises and physical therapy/physiotherapy helps restore functional mobility.
So why suffer when there are practical and effective solutions to help reduce the ‘weight of the world’ upon your shoulders? Contact us and let us help you make the right choice when it comes to getting you back into the Game of Life!
