shoulder pain

Is Your Shoulder Pain an Illusion?

Abbie SawyerThe Research, Your Best Life

shoulder pain

First things first: Is your pain coming from the shoulder or the neck?

Shoulder pain affects millions of people each year. According to population surveys, shoulder pain affects 18-26% of adults at any point in time [14], making it one of the most common areas of pain. So if you have shoulder pain you are not alone–your pain is not an illusion.

The importance of a thorough assessment

Shoulder pain is a common ailment that we see in our office. Many times our patients come to us with shoulder pain and through our examination and assessment, we determine that the complaint is actually being caused by a problem in their neck! Our patients see great results with physical therapy and chiropractic care. Our treatments are non-invasive, non-pharmacological, non-surgical and can even help prevent further pain issues. 

What we assess is important 

There are 3 nerves that travel down the arm from the cervical spine. These nerves can get irritated and send pain into the shoulder. There are tests and techniques we use to assess the shoulder, cervical spine, and the nerves that travel down the arm from the neck. Research underscores the importance of appropriate assessment of the cervical spine when there is a complaint of shoulder pain to determine the correct source of pain. One study found that nearly half of shoulder complaints (48%) originated from the spine [6].

Schedule an assessment

If you have questions or concerns about how to fix shoulder pain or other pain issues give us a call at Capital Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center at 515-421-4018. You can book a physical therapy appointment with Dr. Sarah Brown or book a chiropractic appointment with Dr. Hartley or Dr. LoRang. We look forward to helping you pursue your best life.

References

  1. Allander E. Prevalence, incidence and remission rates of some common rheumatic diseases and syndromes. Scand J Rheumatol. 1974;3(3):145–153. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chard MD, Hazelman R, Hazelman BL, et al. Shoulder disorders in the elderly: a community survey. Arth Rheum. 1991;34:766–769. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Andersson HI, Ejlertsson G, Leden I, Rosenberg C. Chronic neck pain in a geographically defined general population: studies of differences in age, gender, social class and pain localisation. Clin J Pain. 1993;9:174–182. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Walker-Bone K, Reading I, Coggon D, et al. The anatomical pattern and determinants of pain in the neck and upper limbs: an epidemiologic study. Pain. 2004;109:45–51. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843373/
  6. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10669817.2019.1661706?scroll=top&needAccess=true 

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