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.