Along with back pain, we see a lot of patients with shoulder pain in the office. And, this is reflective of the incidence in the general population – up to 70% of people will experience this type of pain in their lives. And unfortunately, it can drastically reduce your quality of life. It would be hard to get through the day without using your shoulder at all. With the right treatment, you can get on the path to healing.

What Causes Shoulder Pain?

The shoulder is complex, in fact it’s actually a combination of two types of joints that work together: the Glenohumeral joint and Acromioclavicular joint. These joints connect the 3 bones in the shoulder – the scapula, clavicle, and humerus. Because of the complexity, it’s easy for one small issue to create a larger problem in the entire area. If you’re experiencing pain, it’s most likely due to one of two factors. First, an acute injury. This would include tears in the soft tissue (like the rotator cuff), breaks, or dislocations. Typically with appropriate treatment and healing, the pain will eventually go away.

The issues we see most are related to another root cause of pain – overuse or improper use. This is chronic pain that results from repetitive motions (sports, on the job, etc.) and/or from poor movement patterns that aggravate the joint. Many times, adhesions are to blame. As the body tries to protect itself from the overuse, the tissues “clamp down” on the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This is your body’s way of yelling “Stop!” The pain and reduced mobility are a clear signal that something isn’t right and needs to be addressed.

How NMT Can Help

We are well versed in the function of the shoulder joint and common reasons for pain. During an initial assessment, we will take a look at your mobility and ask questions about your lifestyle, the onset of the pain, and what triggers it the most. From there, we begin some manual manipulation of the area to see what could be causing the problem. It typically takes twice a week sessions at first to address the adhesions and reduce the pain. Then, we/ll focus on a long term plan to get you back to doing what you love. With regular, consistent treatment, we can keep your shoulders healthy and moving properly.

You don’t have to continue to struggle with shoulder pain. Come see us today to get started on your healing journey!