Shoulder Pain
The Three Most Common causes of persistent Shoulder pain are….
- subacromial pain
- trapped nerve pain
- and frozen shoulder pain.
Subacromial pain can be caused by an overstrain to a tendon or other structure such as a ligament or bursa located just under the point of your shoulder. This can lead to pain and restriction of the joint and weakness when loading it. It will often cause pain when reaching high above your head. Osteopaths are helpful providing relief with hands on manual therapy and rehabilitation exercises.
A trapped nerve from your neck can often refer pain into the shoulder area. You may also have pain in your neck and stiffness turning or side bending. The pain may travel past your shoulder into your arm and be accompanied by numbness or tingling. We can also help you with this presentation and treatment will settle the nerve pain effectively.
A true ‘Frozen Shoulder’ is the lay term given to a condition known as adhesive capsulitis. This a painful condition and can last up to 18 months to 2 years There are three phases.
- Acute pain, any movement is painful
- Pain and stiffness the pain plateaus and begins to ease but the movement of the shoulder is much reduced.
- Stiffness, the shoulder is much less painful but the restricted movement takes time to fully resolve.
Treatment can help speed up the recovery and improve function.
Book in with one of our osteopaths who can expertly advise and treat you for all of the above causes of persistent shoulder pain.
What are the different symptoms associated with shoulder pain?
If you are suffering from shoulder pain, this may feel sharp, shooting, achy or dull. You may notice that the pain gets worse when you are moving your arm or your shoulder. The pain may travel from your neck down into your arm. You may also experience muscle tightness and weakness. Your shoulder may feel stiff, and you may have observed a decreased in your shoulder joint mobility.
How can osteopathy help?
- Reduce pain
- Improve joint mobility
- Reduce muscle tension
- Enhance blood supply to the tissues
- Encourage the body to heal
- Lifestyle advice – stretching and strengthening exercise, postural advice, pain relief advice
What can I do at home to ease my shoulder pain?
- Stay active – continue with your normal daily activities as much as possible
- Do some gentle movements with your shoulder
- Minimise doing things that seem to make your shoulder pain worse
- Heat pack – may be helpful particularly if your muscles feel tight and sore
- Cold pack – may be helpful after a minor injury or it’s more swollen/warm than the other side
- Practice ‘good posture’ – avoid leaning forwards and resting on your arms, take regular breaks, sit in upright position
Our Practitioners
Reviews
See What Our Happy Clients Have To Say
Don’t just take our word for it, read what our clients have to say about us! Our expert team provide you with the best possible standards of treatment and are privileged to be able to look after your health and wellbeing.
