Chiropractic can help improve shoulder pain by providing a variety of treatment options including muscle work, therapeutic exercise, chiropractic adjustments, treating muscle imbalances, and improving mobility restrictions in the shoulder, neck, and upper back. The key is to find a certified sports chiropractor who specializes in these fields and offers these types of treatments. Chiros in Motion offers all of the above.
4 Steps to Improve Shoulder Issues
- Determine Cause and Diagnosis
- Education
- Options
- Treatment
1. Cause and Diagnosis of Shoulder Pain
There is a range of conditions that contribute to shoulder pain. It is important to determine what is causing the pain to best treat the pain. Sports chiropractors have extensive knowledge of extremity conditions. To determine where the pain is coming from an extensive history and understanding of how the condition started is key. After learning about how the condition started your sports chiropractor will do a thorough examination through orthopedic testing, muscle testing, and looking at any mobility restrictions.
Below is a list of common conditions that contribute to the cause of shoulder pain:
- Rotator Cuff Tear / Rotator Cuff Strain / Rotator Cuff Tendonitis
- Shoulder Impingement
- Labral Tear / SLAP Tear
- Frozen Shoulder / Adhesive Capsulitis
- Bicep Tendonitis
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome / TOS
- Shoulder Arthritis
- Shoulder Dislocation / Shoulder Instability
- Shoulder Separation / AC Joint Sprain
- Broken Collor Bone
- Shoulder Blade Pain
- Winging Scapula / Scapular Instability
- Neck and Shoulder Pain
2. Education about your diagnosis
After receiving a diagnosis it is important to understand the diagnosis. Education is one of the most important steps in your recovery. Learning about what movements are encouraged vs which movements should be limited with your condition are important. Bed rest is rarely recommended since there are many options to continue movement/exercise as you recover – the key is to know which movements are okay to do and which should be limited. Education about your condition allows you to work with your body instead of against it. There are many types of education that should be personalized to your condition. Types of education include lifestyle modification, ergonomic adjustments, and modifying movement patterns. When recovering from injury it’s important to understand what movements should be modified and which ones can be continued.
At Chiros in Motion, we strongly believe in finding movements that are suitable for you and your condition. No matter your diagnosis there are still exercises and movements that you can continue. After an injury mental health is a large contributor to healing and outlook. Especially in the athletic population, injury can take a toll on your mental health. Being able to modify activities so that your active lifestyle can continue until you have healed has been shown to improve mental health and outlooks on your recovery.
3. Treatment Options
No matter what type of doctor you go to – your options should always be discussed. Your provider should have enough knowledge about other fields so that they can make evidence-based recommendations about your condition. Each profession in the health and wellness field has a different specialty and may be able to help your condition in different ways. These options should be laid out for you so that you have an understanding of how your condition can be improved. Depending on your diagnosis different professions should be advised. For example, if you were to have a diagnosis of tendonitis your options on how to recover from this condition should always be discussed. Options other than sports chiropractic care for this condition include physical therapy, acupuncture, watch and wait, or an orthopedic referral for steroid injections.
Along with the options from other health fields, the options for chiropractic care should be discussed. For example, if you were to visit Chiros in Motion for a rotator cuff tear, you would be offered a realm of care options – all of which could help improve your condition. You would be offered options such as therapeutic exercise, soft tissue work, game-ready, normatec, ARP-wave therapy, or chiropractic adjustments. You and your provider will discuss your options and together you will decide which treatment is best for you.
4. Treatment
After you and your provider have discussed all of your treatment options and agreed on your plan, treatment will begin. Typically one style of treatment will be the focus of care and depending on how your condition reacts to that care it may be modified. This may take a couple of trials of different forms of care to determine which is best for you. At Chiros in Motion, most clients will feel better within 1-4 visits.
Chiros in Motion offers preventative care options too!
