Perhaps one day you noticed a twinge occurs with a specific movement?
Or an exercise session at the gym suddenly makes your shoulder, neck and arm feel stiff. Maybe you woke up one morning with your head in an odd position. Perhaps the simple task of brushing your hair caused pain.
Does this sound like you?
This description is more common than you think. In many cases the causes of these symptoms reside in the neck and upper back regions along with the surrounding shoulder muscles. When we ignore our symptoms thinking they will get better on their own, the irritation and inflammation continues to grow, causing the pain to become worse. And, as the pain becomes worse, the arm and shoulder motion becomes less and less.
What should you do to help this injury heal?
The most effective treatments will focus on alleviating pain in the joint, muscles and tendons. A shoulder exam will help the practitioner identify specifically which muscles have been irritated. Your individual treatment plan will focus on these areas. You will be given range of motion exercises in the first part of your rehabilitation. These are important to do daily to maintain full range of movement of the shoulder joint. Icing at home for 15min helps to control inflammation.
Chiropractic soft tissue therapy helps to calm the irritated muscles and break up trigger points or “knots” in the muscles which cause pain and limit our movements. Finally shoulder, mid back and neck adjustments will correct mis-alignments and joint restrictions. What exactly is an adjustment? An adjustment involves the use of the chiropractor’s hands to apply a force to a specific joint of the spine or extremities. This adjustment helps to restore proper motion to the joint and to optimize function. This helps to eliminate nerve irritation and the body will be better able to heal itself.
You don’t have to live with pain!
Treatment plans can keep you pain free and active.
Dr. Rubina Tahir, DC
Guest post by Dr. Rubina Tahir, DC
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