Shoulder Pain

shoulder pain st clair west torontoWhen you think of your shoulder, you may not realize that technically, moving your arm really requires more than one joint that in turn combines with a variety of bones, tendons and muscles. The excellent mobility that these several bones, muscles, tendons and joints provide, however, comes with a price: increased risk of instability and potential impingement of the soft tissues, resulting in pain. This pain could be only when you move your shoulder, or all of the time. Your pain might be temporary, or it may last (i.e. become chronic). Sometimes your medical doctors can help, and sometimes you need the assistance of natural medicines to help improve your shoulder's range of motion and rid you of that nagging pain.

What is the shoulder joint?

Your shoulder joint is really composed of three bones: your clavicle (collarbone), your scapula (shoulder blade), and your humerus (upper arm bone). The two joints involved in using your shoulder are your acromioclavicular joint, which joins your scapula and your humerus, and your glenohumeral joint, which is the ball and socket joint that we normally associate with as our shoulder joint. The glenohumeral joint allows your arm to rotate in a circular motion, and is actually parts of the scapula and humerus bones that fit into a capsule of soft tissue. It is thanks to the variety of muscles, tendons and ligaments around this joint (also known as your 'rotator cuff') that your shoulder stays in one place. The major muscles here include your teres minor, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, and subscapularis muscles.

Possible causes of shoulder pain:

Most shoulder problems can be included in one of these categories:

  • rotator cuff tear
  • tendonitis
  • impingement
  • frozen shoulder
  • subacromial bursitis

Other issues that could cause you pain in your shoulder include arthritis, tumors, infection, and other nerve-related conditions.

What can be done?

Your medical doctor can address your shoulder pain by first conducting any number of tests, which include MRI’s, CT scans, x-rays, ultrasound tests, arthrograms, and a number of different physical examinations. The variety of conventional medical treatments for shoulder pain unfortunately usually only include pain relief medication, corticosteroid injections, and also a variety of different surgeries.

Natural medicines can be remarkably helpful with reducing or eliminating your shoulder pain, and also with improving your joint mobility. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine have been helping this type of pain for thousands of years. Massage therapy also can get you feeling better and moving again, and physiotherapy or chiropractic care with exercise instruction can get your strength back and relieve your pain as well. 

Contact us for a FREE consultation on how natural therapy can help you improve your health and manage your symptoms of joint pain.

These links may also be helpful:

Chiropractic for Shoulder Pain

Shoulder and Upper Back Health to Relieve Pain

Shoulder Stability Exercises

Treating Arthritis with Acupuncture