Arm/Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain can be relentless and debilitating. It can often be known as bursitis or tendinitis.

Early symptoms include:

• Pain moving your arm and getting dressed.
• Tingling and numbness in the hands upon waking.
• Dull low grade ache in your shoulder.
• Shoulder may appear dropped or forward.
• You can usually get some temporary relief after a hot shower.

Chronic symptoms include:

• Pain shooting or referring down the arm.
• Pain when trying to sleep.
• Loss of strength and range of motion.
• Pain into your neck from your shoulder.
• Difficultly in turning your head.

Research tells us that injuries left untreated do take longer to heal and have lingering pain. They are also more likely to recur and leave you with:

• Abnormal scar tissue formation
• Joint stiffness
• Muscle weakness

It’s important to remember that symptoms lasting longer than three months become habitual and are much harder to solve.

The sooner you get on top of your shoulder pain the better your outcome.

We are often referred patients for shoulder pain from a friend who had shoulder pain, but often the underlying causes are totally different. This is why we do a thorough assessment of your shoulder condition.

After your history we begin a thorough assessment of your spine. We have found in many cases there is an underlying spinal issue that changed how your shoulder functioned. Often this can be seen with a weakness in the many muscle tests that we perform.

We want to really understand the connection between all the parts of your body. So we will examine your spine, your shoulder, your elbow and your wrist and hands, so that we understand how it’s all working together.

Once the cause is identified, we then create a treatment plan and outline outcomes and goals.