When Should I See A Chiropractor for Shoulder Pain?

Many people who have shoulder pain ignore it, until they just can't ignore it anymore. This is unfortunate because not only do you have to endure prolonged suffering, but the damage can get worse if it goes untreated. 

The shoulder is a large, complex ball-socket joint that attaches the arm to the body. It is surrounded by ligaments, muscles, and nerves that go into your arm, upper back, chest, and neck. If there is a pain in this area, the sooner you get it checked out, the better. 

Most physicians can do little to help with shoulder pain, but chiropractic care can help resolve problems and restore your arm's strength and flexibility. 

Types of Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain may present itself in different ways. Sometimes the joint may feel tense or stiff; often this can be the first sign that something is wrong. 

In some cases, the discomfort may grow to a deep, dull, achy pain. In other cases, shoulder pain may be sharp and stabbing, and may be triggered by movement or certain positions. 

Over time, continuous pain in the shoulder may cause muscle weakness in the arm, reduce your range of motion, or cause numbness or tingling in the arm.

Shoulder pain can inhibit you from going about your daily chores, work, or hobbies. It may make activities like driving difficult as well, which can have a big impact on your life. One of the worst issues with shoulder pain is that it can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep at night, as moving your arm may wake you up frequently.

How the Shoulder Is Affected by the Upper Cervical Spine

For many musculoskeletal issues like shoulder pain, a good place to look for the root cause is the upper cervical spine. This part of your spine consists of the uppermost seven vertebrae that go from the base of the skull down into the upper back. Running through the neck, it is the most vulnerable part of the spine and is prone to injury. 

When the vertebrae are misaligned even slightly, the body tends to shift the posture to compensate. This shift is usually unconscious and goes unnoticed, but the effects do not go unnoticed. Shifting the posture puts strain on other joints, such as the shoulder, and may cause pain and inflammation. In time, this can cause muscle groups to weaken or may even cause nerve damage if untreated. 

How Our Shoulder Pain Treatment Works

At the Blair Chiropractic Clinic in Lubbock, Texas, our Dr. Gordon Elder believes that the sooner you get treatment for your shoulder pain, the better off you will be. Dr. Elder is an upper cervical specialist trained in the Blair Chiropractic Technique. This technique combines advanced technology scans with modern hands-on, low-pressure techniques. 

The Blair technique is a non-invasive, drug-free, safe, natural treatment for many types of pains and injuries. Correcting the upper cervical spine and restoring proper alignment helps remove pressure from other joints and tissue. A properly aligned spine also reduces swelling and inflammation and kick-starts the body's natural healing processes to help repair damage and restore health. 

Dr. Elder has a three-step plan for patients with shoulder pain. The first step is a screening, using 3D diagnostic imaging tools to help detect even minute misalignments. Step two is the healing process, during which the doctor uses gentle pressure to correct misalignments. Beyond that, preventative care is what step three is about. Dr. Elder recommends regular chiropractic check-ups to ensure the alignment holds and to nip future problems in the bud. 

Don't let shoulder pain get extreme before you seek help. Early intervention can save you a lot of pain and problems. Contact Dr. Elder for an appointment. His area of coverage includes Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, and El Paso in Texas, as well as Hobbs in New Mexico.

Published by Vic Belonogoff: A Blair Chiropractic doctor helped heal vertigo, among other conditions that Vic Belonogoff suffered from, and it gave him his life back. He continues to see an upper cervical chiropractor as a preventative measure. Vic Belonogoff is passionate about upper cervical chiropractic and how much it helps patients.

How To Prevent Neck and Shoulder Pain From Digital Devices

The more things our electronic devices do, the more time we tend to spend on them. All this screen time comes at a cost, though. Our frequent use of digital devices has more people suffering from neck and shoulder pain. Even teens and children are experiencing pain from prolonged use of devices. 

When using devices, people tend to spend too much time in positions that strain muscles and joints in the neck, shoulders, and upper back. This can lead to a variety of painful problems like pinched nerves and poor posture. 

Tips to Avoid Neck and Shoulder Pain

Watch your posture—try to make sure you hold handheld devices up so you don't crane your neck forward or put your head down for prolonged periods. If you're using a computer, make sure you're sitting up straight with your shoulders back.

Make sure you have the right equipment—an ergonomic chair can help maximize comfort when you're working at a desk. Make sure your chair height is adjusted so that your knees are in line with your hips and your feet sit flat on the floor. An ergonomic keyboard with a wrist rest can help make sure your arms and hands are in the proper position when typing. 

Take breaks—frequent breaks allow you to move, stretch, and resume a natural position. This will help prevent you from inadvertently sitting in a position for too long that puts stress on joints, ligaments, and muscles. Set a timer so that every hour you get up and move around for a little bit during your work day. After work and on days off, limit your time on devices.

Seek Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care—the upper cervical spine, consisting of the uppermost seven vertebrae, runs through the neck and into the upper back. It is a vulnerable place prone to injury. Many people will have aches and pains for years without knowing that it is due to a slight misalignment of the upper cervical spine. The right chiropractor can help realign your spine and bring relief and prevent further problems from developing. 

We Can Help with Neck and Shoulder Pain

At the Blair Chiropractic Clinic in Lubbock, Texas, we can help alleviate neck and shoulder pain caused by upper cervical spine misalignments. Dr. Gordon Elder is an upper cervical specialist in the Blair Chiropractic Technique. 

The Blair technique involves advanced 3D diagnostic imaging scans to help doctors pinpoint problems in your unique anatomy. Because the doctor can get a better sense of your anatomy with these scans, he's able to precisely apply low-pressure manipulations to gently correct your spine. This eliminates the guesswork, and there is no need for any sudden snaps and cracks. The Blair technique is safe, gentle, and non-invasive.

Dr. Elder has a three-step plan for people with neck and shoulder pain. It begins with a thorough screening to assess your overall health, and diagnostic imaging to calculate the angles of your spine. 

Step two is where the healing begins. Dr. Elder makes adjustments with a light touch you will barely feel. Once your spine is properly aligned, it will relieve the undue stress put on your joints and muscles. The body's natural healing processes can then take over and repair the damage, restoring good health. 

The last step is to help you take preventative measures to avoid further injury and discomfort. Regular visits can keep your spine in a healthy, aligned state and the doctor can nip any problems in the bud.

Neck and shoulder pain may not seem like a serious problem, but without treatment, the problem can get worse. You may reach a point at which the damage is irreversible. Call Dr. Elder for an appointment to see if upper cervical care can help you. Dr. Elder's areas of coverage include Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, and El Paso in Texas, as well as Hobbs in New Mexico.

Published by Vic Belonogoff: A Blair Chiropractic doctor helped heal vertigo, among other conditions that Vic Belonogoff suffered from, and it gave him his life back. He continues to see an upper cervical chiropractor as a preventative measure. Vic Belonogoff is passionate about upper cervical chiropractic and how much it helps patients.

Treating Shoulder Pain Gently and Effectively with Upper Cervical Chiropractic

What is Shoulder Pain?

The shoulder is a complex part of the body, consisting of the large joint that connects the arm to the body, as well as the muscles, ligaments, tendons, bone, and soft tissue in the surrounding area. Any pain in this area is commonly referred to as shoulder pain. 

Shoulder pain is most often the result of injury to the area. It can be hard for doctors to diagnose and treat shoulder pain because of the complex construction of this large joint. Often they offer treatments to manage pain, such as pain medications, hot compresses, or steroidal injections. Unfortunately, these types of treatments only treat the symptoms and not the cause of the problem.

Signs and Symptoms of Shoulder Pain

The type of pain patients get in the shoulder largely depends on the nature of the injury.  The pain can present as a dull, persistent ache deep in the surrounding muscles. In some cases, it may be a sharp, stabbing pain in the joint, especially when the shoulder is moved or jolted. Some patients may experience numbness or tingle in the shoulder, which may radiate up into the neck, or down into the arm or back. 

With shoulder pain, especially when the problem has been ongoing, the muscles can become weak and fatigued. It can cause a decrease in mobility, and in severe cases may even lead to adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder). 

How the Upper Cervical Spine Affects Shoulder Pain

Often the source of shoulder pain is not in the shoulder at all; it's in the upper cervical spine. This part of the spine consists of the uppermost seven vertebrae that run through the neck. When misaligned, these vertebrae can cause inflammation, swelling, and nerve compression that causes the body to shift the posture to compensate and adjust. That shift only puts more pressure and stress on certain joints, such as the shoulder. 

The good news is this: if a misalignment of the upper cervical spine is causing your should pain, then realignment of the spine can help reverse the problem.

How Our Shoulder Pain Treatment Works

You don't have to keep putting up with shoulder pain that limits your activities and makes it difficult to do anything. Instead of treating the symptoms, our doctors treat the cause of shoulder pain instead to put you on the road to healing. 

Dr. Gordon Elder is a specialist in the Blair Chiropractic Technique. This modern technique uses precise computations and gentle, low-force pressure to quickly and comfortably bring your upper cervical spine back into alignment. Once aligned, your body's natural healing mechanisms will spring into action and begin repairing the damage. 

A screening appointment with the doctor starts the process. He will discuss your health issues and history, and perform diagnostic tests to detect misalignments. We utilize state-of-the-art 3D imaging scans so that the doctor can precisely calculate your anatomy and determine the best treatment for you. 

You should feel relief after the first treatment, during which the doctor will help realign the vertebrae. Follow-up treatments, which only take 10-15 minutes, will ensure the alignment holds and the healing progresses. 

Dr. Elder recommends regular chiropractic treatments beyond that as a preventative measure to keep you in good health and prevent shoulder pain from returning. Call our office for an appointment to finally rid yourself of nagging shoulder pain with a natural, drug-free, non-invasive treatment. We see patients in Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, and El Paso in Texas, as well as Hobbs in New Mexico.

Published by Vic Belonogoff: A Blair Chiropractic doctor helped heal vertigo, among other conditions that Vic Belonogoff suffered from, and it gave him his life back. He continues to see an upper cervical chiropractor as a preventative measure. Vic Belonogoff is passionate about upper cervical chiropractic and how much it helps patients.