Why Does My Shoulder Hurt?
Firstly, the shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint with an extensive range of motion. Therefore, our ability to move our shoulder in many different directions allows us the ability to feed ourselves, ride our bike, dress ourselves, do hand stands and brush our hair. However, the down side of this increased mobility is decreased stability, which makes this joint more susceptible to injury.
Causes of Shoulder Pain
The shoulder joint is one of the most complex and delicate joints of the body. It is made up of three bones: your shoulder blade (scapula), your upper arm bone (humerus), and your collarbone (clavicle). Secondly, this joint is solely held together by tendons, ligaments and muscles. Therefore, shoulder pain can be caused by a variety of factors. Here are the most common causes:
- Strains from overexertion
- Pinched nerves (radiculopathy)
- Macrotrauma or injury to the joint
- Repetitive overuse or microtrauma
- Rotator cuff tendonitis
- Physical or emotional tension
- Should joint instability or dislocation
- Frozen shoulder
- Fracture
- Arthritis in the joint.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Shoulder Pain
Your doctor may request imaging studies to determine the extent of your injury. These images can also help to determine if there is soft tissue damage. However, the treatment of your shoulder pain depends entirely on the cause of the problem. Therefore, it is critical to seek care and understand what is causing your symptoms before receiving treatment.
Most importantly, NUCCA chiropractic care helps restore the health of your spine and neck which could reduce or eliminate your shoulder pain. Meanwhile, the nerves that innervate the arms and hands exit the lower neck and go through the shoulder. Impingement of these nerves can cause shoulder pain. In addition, chiropractic adjustments can help restore alignment, improve mobility, and relieve pain, along with removing stiffness in your body. However, depending on your condition, you can use, moist heat or ice packs. In addition to ice and heat, massage, stretching and strengthening exercises may be complimentary to your care.
Intouch Chiropractic | San Diego, CA (619) 756-7510 San Diego NUCCA Doctors | Upper Cervical Care
References: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003171.htm http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00332 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000438.htm http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001243.htm http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000419.htm
