What causes shoulder pain?
Rotator cuff injuries are one of the top causes of shoulder pain. The rotator cuff refers to a group of muscles and tendons that hold your upper arm in the shoulder joint and support the arm’s movement.
Partial or complete rotator cuff tears typically occur during sports injuries or from the ongoing stress of repeated arm movements. You have a higher risk for shoulder pain if you participate in sports or occupational activities that require overhead arm motions, such as pitching, swimming, volleyball, and painting.
You may also end up with shoulder pain due to:
- Arthritis
- Bursitis
- Labral tears
- Tendonitis
- Shoulder fractures
- Shoulder dislocations
- Impingement syndrome
- Frozen shoulder
No matter what type of problem causes your shoulder pain, it’s important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Using an injured shoulder only causes more extensive tissue damage that lengthens the healing process and increases your risk of developing shoulder instability.
What symptoms accompany shoulder pain?
If you have shoulder pain, there’s a good chance that the underlying problem will also cause symptoms, such as:
- Arm weakness
- Pain when moving your arm or shoulder
- Difficulty lifting your arm
- Shoulder joint instability
- Muscles spasms
- Joint clicking
- Limited range of motion
- Loss of movement
If you suffer a traumatic injury like a shoulder dislocation or fracture, you experience sudden pain, swelling, and bruising.
How is shoulder pain treated?
One of the most challenging aspects of healing shoulder injuries is giving the tissues enough time to heal. For this reason, it’s important to avoid activities that irritate or stress your shoulders. In some cases, your provider may give you a temporary immobilizer to limit arm movement.
Some severe shoulder injuries may need surgery. For example, if you rupture tendons or suffer a fracture, you may need surgery to reattach the tendons or align the bones.
Innovation Spine Medical treats shoulder pain with many chiropractic, interventional, and regenerative therapies that naturally promote healing and effectively ease your pain. A few examples include:
- Physical therapy
- Joint injections
- Platelet-rich plasma injections
- Prolotherapy
- Cellular therapy
- Trigger point injections
- Nerve blocks
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Acupuncture
- Massage therapy
- Range-of-motion exercises
- Strengthening and stretching exercises
If you need relief from shoulder pain or you’re interested in therapies that promote natural healing, call Innovation Spine Medical or book an appointment online today.
