West Bend Chiropractor Explains What Causes Shoulder Pain and How Chiropractic Care Can Help
The shoulder has the distinction of being the human body’s most mobile joint, and also the most complex. It is a notoriously common site of injury, and shoulder pain is a common reason for seeing a chiropractor. Our office helps many patients with shoulder complaints.
Increased Mobility Equals Increased Risk of Injury
The shoulder’s fragility is inherent in its structure, which must combine strength and mobility. The shoulder is a ball and socket joint, with only the soft tissues of the rotator cuff (muscles, tendons and ligaments) to provide stability. By comparison, the ball and socket joint of the hip has an outer ring made of bone. That’s why people rarely dislocate a hip joint, while it’s common to hear of a dislocated shoulder.
Where Shoulder Pain Begins
Aside from cases of direct contact injury, shoulder pain usually originates in the neck. Any change to the structure of the neck causes “referred pain” in the shoulder. The cervical spine has 7 vertebrae that have a natural curve toward the front of the body. When the curve straightens due to postural issues, the condition is called forward head posture or FHP, which is the most frequent cause of shoulder pain.
FHP and Vertebral Subluxations
In chiropractic terms, the misalignment of a spinal bone is called a vertebral subluxation. Left uncorrected, the vertebrae can rub against each other, impinging nerves, destroying spinal discs, and causing FHP. When the neck supports the head (as heavy as a bowling ball) so that the weight is carried in front of the body, there is tremendous mechanical stress placed on the shoulder girdle. The shoulders begin to roll forward, which alters natural arm movement. Tendonitis and muscle spasms are the result. Eventually, what started as a simple subluxation issue progresses to a full-blown case of osteoarthritis affecting the neck, the shoulders, or both.
How a Simple Subluxation Can Cause Shoulder Problems
Between each of the vertebrae in the spine, there are small openings that allow nerves to branch off from the spinal cord, then travel along the shoulders and down the arms. Vertebral subluxations pinch the nerves where they exit the spinal cord, leading to dysfunction of the rotator cuff muscles. The shoulder girdle becomes imbalanced, leaving some muscles underused and others overused. Nervous system interference paves the way for rotator cuff tears, dislocated shoulder joints and bursitis.
Abnormal Friction Creates Bursitis
When the nerves that control the rotator cuff muscles misfire, abnormal friction within the shoulder joint is the result. Dysfunctional friction causes inflammation of the bursa, which is a small sac of synovial fluid that provides a smooth gliding surface for all the components of the joint. Standard medical treatment involves injecting steroids into the bursa, which has the negative side effect of weakening the rotator cuff soft tissues, setting the stage for further injury. Alternatively, doctors of chiropractic seek and correct the underlying cause of a health problem, rather than masking the symptoms with potentially dangerous and often ineffective drugs and compounds.
Chiropractic Care Relieves Shoulder Pain
Wisconsin chiropractors Dr. Korie Gardner and Dr. F.J. Schofield are experienced at detecting and eliminating the true source of shoulder pain. Call Gardner Schofield chiropractic at (262) 334-8188 and schedule a consultation with Dr. Korie and Dr. F.J. at their West Bend office today.