7 Ways a Chiropractor Can Help Relieve Shoulder Pain
When you think of a chiropractor, you probably think of someone who does back adjustments. But did you know that they can effectively treat other parts of your body too?
Shoulder pain can cause pain during your everyday activities and even STOP you from doing them.
Just ask our patient M.L. who had a frozen shoulder and limited range of motion which stopped her from doing her regular activities.
With the help of our chiropractor, she stated that:
“I am now able to exercise regularly, and my range of motion improved in a short period of time,”
…which is a success story that is common with chiropractic treatment of shoulder pain!
Chiropractors are skilled in many different treatment techniques to RELIEVE YOUR SHOULDER PAIN.
They’re able to treat all sorts of shoulder conditions, such as sports injuries, rotator cuff issues, chronic shoulder pain, frozen shoulder, shoulder tendinopathy, torn shoulder muscles, shoulder impingement, and many more!
Our chiropractors can help you REDUCE YOUR PAIN and INCREASE YOUR RANGE OF MOTION so that you’re able to get back to doing the activities you like to do, just like M.L.!
7 Ways a Chiropractor Can Help Relieve Shoulder Pain
1. Soft Tissue Therapy
Soft tissue therapy is a type of treatment where pressure is applied to an area that has abnormal tension.
This tension can be the result from an injury, poor posture, or any other sort of stress or imbalance to your shoulder.
As a result of this tension, you can have pain, inflammation, and trigger points or “knots” in the area.
Soft tissue therapy helps to:
- decrease the tension
- decrease inflammation
- promote good blood flow
- improve range of motion
- reduce your pain
2. Adjustments
When you have pain in your shoulder, it could be from your shoulder joint directly.
Or, your pain could also be the consequence of another area in your body not functioning well.
When a joint isn’t positioned in an optimal position, it might not function properly which could lead to pain and a loss of range of motion.
No matter the source of your pain, a chiropractic adjustment could help solve the root cause of it.
A chiropractic adjustment is when a chiropractor applies a FAST and CONTROLLED movement to the area to help quickly put the joint in better alignment.
This adjustment can be SAFELY done on your shoulder or related structures like your spine to help realign these structures and improve your day-to-day function.
3. Stretching
Your shoulder pain can be the result of stiffness and tight muscles in or around your shoulder.
Chiropractors can assess if your shoulder muscles are tight and stretch them appropriately so that you can improve your range of motion.
Stretching can also decrease your pain, improve posture, and prevent future injuries.
Chiropractors can also give you stretches that you can do yourself at home to IMPROVE your shoulder discomfort and PROMOTE better shoulder movement.
4. Exercise
Along with stretches, exercise
e is another important activity to perform to help you improve your shoulder function and your overall health.
A chiropractor can teach you exercises that you can do at home to help strengthen your shoulder muscles and help keep your shoulder moving.
Check out this shoulder mobility assessment you can try for yourself at home!
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If you have difficulty or pain with this assessment, you could benefit from seeing a chiropractor to give you an exercise program to manage these issues.
5. Education
Chiropractors are highly skilled and educated health professionals that can help answer any questions you may have about your shoulder pain.
After an initial assessment, a chiropractor will give you information on your shoulder diagnosis, the expected healing time of your condition exercises that you can do at home to improve the injury, and more.
If you have any other questions, don’t be afraid to ask your chiropractor! We are here to help you.
6. Acupuncture
Some chiropractors are trained in medical acupuncture, which is a treatment that can be added to your treatment plan to help improve your shoulder.
Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles into your skin in order to improve circulation, decrease your pain, decrease your muscle tightness, and improve your overall function.
Acupuncture can be PAINLESS to slightly uncomfortable depending on the person and placement of the needles.
There are many benefits of acupuncture, but chiropractors are trained in other treatments if acupuncture doesn’t seem to be a good fit for you!
7. Modalities (Ultrasound, Laser, TENS)
A chiropractor might also use other tools to help improve your shoulder pain.
Ultrasound is a device that uses mechanical energy to help speed up the healing process.
Laser is a pain-free tool that’s used to treat both acute and chronic shoulder conditions. The laser releases energy into tissues which helps to improve circulation and decrease pain.
TENS is a device that’s used to electrically stimulate an area near or at your area of pain. This is a safe treatment method that stimulates specific nerve fibres that block pain over a short and long period of time.
What Treatment Will My Chiropractor Use to Treat My Shoulder Pain?
A chiropractor will ask you questions and physically assess you to determine what the root cause of your shoulder discomfort is.
Then, the chiropractor will use these assessment findings to create a treatment plan that helps address your shoulder condition.
The chiropractor will use a combination of any of the above treatments of soft tissue therapy, adjustments, stretching, exercise, education, acupuncture, and modalities to treat your shoulder pain.
Ultimately, the chiropractor will let you know the treatments that they recommend to get you back to using your shoulder pain-free.
I’m Ready to Get Treatment for My Shoulder Pain!
Chiropractors can effectively treat your shoulder pain so that you can get back to your regular activities.
Dr. Jeff Belgue is an experienced chiropractor who can treat your shoulder pain.
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He is trained in all of the above treatment techniques, as well as specialized in treating a wide variety of populations like athletes, older adults, people experiencing arthritis, and more.
Don’t hesitate to take a step forward in getting relief from your shoulder pain today.
Book your first assessment with our trained chiropractor so that you can get back to your normal day-to-day activities, symptom-free!
This blog was written by Anna Zheng, a Physiotherapy Resident
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions do chiropractors treat?
Chiropractors are trained and experienced in treating a wide variety of conditions.
Some of these conditions include (but are definitely not limited to!) neck pain, back pain, whiplash, concussions, any type of sprain or strain, sports injuries, work-related injuries, migraines, headaches, knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, rotator cuff injuries, tennis & golfer’s elbow, sciatica, and more!
Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor?
Nope! Chiropractors are independent practitioners that you can see without a referral from a doctor or other healthcare professional.
Chiropractic services are covered by many extended healthcare plans.
It’s important to know that your insurance company may require a doctor’s referral for the appointment to be covered by insurance. Contact your insurance company or employer directly to confirm any details.
Is chiropractic care covered by OHIP?
Chiropractic care is unfortunately not covered by OHIP.
However, many health insurance plans provide coverage for chiropractic care.
If you’re unsure if your health plan covers chiropractic care, please contact your insurance company directly.
At Physio Plus Health Group, we directly bill many major insurance companies.
If you have additional questions about the costs of our services, feel free to reach us at (437) 747-6236. We look forward to speaking with you!