Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Don't Continue the Game With Shoulder Pain

By Jamie G. Phillips, DC

Atlas wasn't the only individual to ask a lot of his shoulders. Though you may not carry the weight of the world around on your shoulders, every day you require your shoulders to do a mind-boggling array of elaborate movements. If your shoulders were unable to do what they do each day, you wouldn't be able to do what you do each day.

If you're experiencing shoulder pain, it's likely because you've been asking too much of your shoulders. In other words, you may be performing such repetitive activities as lifting and other arm movements, especially those done overhead or overhand, like throwing a baseball or just placing items on overhead shelves. These types of repeated actions irritate the nerves in the shoulder region and can generate a breakdown of the tissues surrounding the joints.

Nonetheless, the majority of the time, fully-functioning shoulders can handle regular motion without pain or other symptoms occurring. After all, shoulders were constructed to pull double-duty! Pain in your shoulders is a signal that something is wrong and needs attention.

A frequent area for painful shoulder conditions is the rotator cuff. This is a combination of muscles, ligaments, and tendons that enables lifting, pulling, and other rotational movements. It is easy to see why the rotator cuff design offers the most expanded range of motion of any joint. An active individual requires unrestricted motion to be optimally functional.

Your upper arm bone is connected to your shoulder blade by the muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff. The ball of your upper arm is kept solidly in the shoulder socket by these muscles as well. Irritation of the nerves causes painful, restricted movement. Moreover, the muscles of your shoulder not only become tight, but fatigued.

Shoulder impingement pain can range from occasional and mild, such as a minor pinching with the raising of the arms overhead, to total inability to use the shoulder. Occasional pain should still be addressed and not ignored. And, most importantly, if you feel pain, never continue with an activity.

Shoulder impingement conditions won't go away without treatment, and will likely worsen over time. If requisite attention is postponed, correction may require surgery and difficult rehab. Professional diagnosis and care should be arranged as soon as possible after shoulder pain is experienced.

Your chiropractor is extraordinarily knowledgeable when it comes to muscular-skeletal conditions, and knows what to do to get you out of pain. Chiropractic care addresses the cause of your shoulder pain and eliminates it at its origin. Your chiropractor will aid in restoring proper mobility to your shoulder joints, and will also recommend rehabilitation exercises that will not only help you get rid of your current shoulder condition, but will support you in preventing shoulder problems in the future. - 16887

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