Shoulder Pain

Rotator cuff dysfunction is precipitated by trauma or activity-induced injury to the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and/or subscapularis muscles or tendons. It is caused by prolonged or repetitive overuse of muscles over a short period of time, especially due to overhand throwing, or lifting activities like weight lifting, baseball, football, and racquet sports. It will often present as pain that can refer as far as the elbow, weakness, decreased shoulder ranges of motion, muscle spasms or the shoulder, grinding with movement, loss of strength, and swelling or bruising if trauma is the cause.

Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, is characterized by a tremendous decrease in the range of motion of the shoulder due to soft tissue contracture and capsular adhesions. Females 40-60 years of age are usually affected more than males. The big cause of this condition is prolonged immobilization of the shoulder due to surgery, whiplash, other shoulder and neck disorders, as well as visceral conditions such as coronary artery disease. Pain and stiffness of gradual onset are the main complaints, and can occur with some other co-morbid condition (i.e. longterm disability).

Some other conditions of the shoulder that chiropractors can expertly diagnose and treat such are: scapula and faulty scapular movement, tendonitis (including calcific), nerve impingement, labral lesions (Bankart and SLAP), instability, rehabiliation from shoulder dislocation, arthritis, capsular sprain, acromioclavicular joint dysfunction, and others.