[Joint Pain] › [Shoulder Pain]
Pain in this area is a tricky situation in that the shoulder has the greatest ranges of motion (movement) of all the joints in the human body…
Once injured, any form of movement, or even being still, can irritate a sore or injured shoulder…
This page includes solutions, including a specific type of chiropractic, and things you can do at home…
Reading and researching will always help you to get a more in depth look at what you are dealing with, so here are the rest of the links to this section to help you to pinpoint what your symptoms mean:
Activator Methods Chiropractic Is Great For Shoulder Pain
Activator Methods doctors can diagnose and treat injuries and osteoarthritis in the shoulder efficiently and painlessly…
The Activator Protocol not only adjusts a shoulder, which may be expressing as referred pain, but aligns and balances the rest of the body so your adjustment will last longer…
The protocol will also show the source of pain, which could be in your neck – C6 and C7 vertebral segments are famous for causing shoulder pain…
They will also be able to determine which part of the joint has been damaged with range of motion and/or imaging diagnostics…
For example a rotator cuff tear needs proper diagnosis quickly as this can be a time sensitive issue as this type of injury can spread through the shoulder if ignored…
If your pain is coming from a broken collar bone your chiropractor should be able to diagnose this quickly and efficiently and point you in the right direction…
You may need additional professional assistance such as surgery if the break is advanced enough…
This is what the chiropractor can do for you…
But what should you do for you…?
Sleeping can be difficult if you are experiencing shoulder pain. Having correct posture on a quality mattress will help.
R.I.C.E. It…!
Rest –
In order to heal your shoulder pain, rest is going to be necessary regardless of which of the specific structures within the shoulder joint have been affected…
Timelines will be different for everyone depending on age:
- Age…
- General Health…
- Physical Fitness…
- Diet…
- Habits with drinking alcohal, smoking, and recreational drugs…
A bag of crushed ice is one of the most effective treatments for swelling in a sore shoulder…
Ice –
For acute injuries (less than 48 hours old) crushed ice in a bag against a wet flannel is the best way of keeping swelling at a minimum so that other stages of the inflammatory response can promote healing…
Crushed ice in a bag for ten minutes, every one or two hours, is a common recommendation, but also keep in mind the person’s ability to handle cold…
Some people are more sensitive than others…
(For an older person, or a young child you should use frozen gel packs instead as this is a more gentle form of ice treatment…)
A bag of crushed ice has also been proven to be the best mode of ice application (and it just goes to show that we will research about anything) for two reasons:
The temperature of the ice bag stays consistent over a ten-minute time period where gel packs and instant ice packs go up in temperature over a ten-minute time period…
*Instant ice packs are good products to keep in a kit for situations where ice is not available…*
A bag of crushed ice is soft and can be formed around a joint evenly…
This is important when treating an area of the shoulder, whether it be the joint capsule, rotator cuff, labrum or supraspinatus tear…
Do not use on:
- An open wound…
- On a person with a prosthesis…
- On a person with a heart condition…
This is one of many ways to tape a shoulder; the configuration will depend on the injury.Sports tape is the best way to go to add compression and support to a shoulder joint injury…
A brand called Strength Tape offers excellent quality…
If you go to the website there are application instructions…
Benefits:
Gives added support when applied correctly and:
- Increases circulation…
- Relieves swelling via decompression of the injured area…
- Strength tape is waterproof and will last for about three-five days through water, sweat and mud…
- It is made of cotton and spandex instead of latex and rubber so your skin can breathe…
Elevation–
Elevation for shoulder pain really translates better as Ergonomics for shoulder pain…
If you have a shoulder injury, or pain from an arthritis condition, it will be useful to find a position in which you can sleep…
Since laying down and sometimes sitting can increase shoulder pain …
It may be a matter of getting a different pillow, or just a towel behind your shoulder to lift it slightly as you lay back…
For example if you like to sleep on your stomach, just putting a folded wash cloth or towel under the affected shoulder can provide some relief (depends on what part of the shoulder is injured though…)
Sometimes raising your shoulder into a comfortable position is only a matter of millimetres…
Positioning a shoulder into a place where it can be pain free will involve very slight movement if you have ripped tissue or an arthitic condition…
It is important to take some time to figure this out because no sleep and positioning yourself in a way that is not comfortable, or is causing more shoulder pain is only going to exacerbate this condition…
Natural Pain Relief
Over the counter as well as prescribed pain relief medications are fast acting and potent, but what happens if you need to take them to manage your pain over a period of years, or for the rest of your life…?
You may wish to do some research and look into some natural pain relief remedies that will not have the toxic effects on your internal organs that most pain medications do after a lengthy period of time…
I have provided some basic information regarding supplementation that provides natural pain relief to help get you started – just click on the link below…
Gentle Motion To Prevent Frozen Shoulder
With all shoulder pain comes the risk of frozen shoulder…
This is why proper rehabilitation of the shoulder joint is so important – it prevents permanent damage…
If your shoulder is injured, rehabilitation should include:
- Ice – For a painkiller and to reduce swelling…
- Compression – with tape…
- Gentle movement through prescribed ranges of motion each day that may be sore, but NOT PAINFUL…
I recommend getting properly diagnosed and having professional assistance before doing this in the event your rotator cuff is involved…
Ice and tape should be applied and then the shoulder gentley moved through its range of motion (but not forcibly to cause pain…)
A chiropractor or good sports physio should be able to educate you with regard to the proper shoulder exercises for you…
Shoulder Pain Summary
There are several anatomical structures and conditions that can cause shoulder pain:
- Rotator Cuff tear
- Labral tear…
- Supraspinatus tear (partial cuff tear)…
- Osteoarthritis in the shoulder…
- Bursitis in the shoulder…
With all of them, R.I.C.E. is useful, taping for added support and the compression component of R.I.C.E. and supplementation (that has been documented) to aid in tissue healing and to provide nutrients needed to stimulate tissue regeneration …
I recommend Activator Methods Chiropractic because the Activator Gun is an instrument that can adjust any joint in the body effectively and painlessly…
All of these measures combined with a correct diagnosis for your specific type of shoulder pain will put you on the correct track to healing…Please note that if your pain does not resolve or improve in two weeks, it is important to get your shoulder injury diagnosed. If it is a rotator cuff tear requiring surgery, this is a time sensitive issue…*
Quality Joint Health = Quality life…
[Joint Pain] › [Shoulder Pain]
Disclaimer – This is information on joint pain. I teach, but I do not diagnose, prescibe or treat people who contact me. You are responsible for your condition using your own best judgement combined with what you have learned. Just a heads up – bodies carry unusual differences from time to time, in saying that, you could be one of those rare and unusual beings; if you are in doubt, please contact a physician in your area, so you can rule it out.
Move Freely and Knowledgeably and Be Well!
Dr. Jo
P.S… “Greater certainty of your condition alone can be a powerful form of pain relief.”