| Don't Let Shoulder Pain Stop Your Game |
| Written by Jamie G. Phillips, DC | |
| Saturday, 25 July 2009 | |
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Your shoulders carry a load of responsibility. They are relied upon to perform numerous and diverse movements throughout your day. This variety of intricate motion aids you in every area of your life, at work and at play.
Your shoulders carry a load of responsibility. They are relied upon to do numerous and diverse movements in the course of your day. This diversity of intricate motion assists you in all areas of your life, at work and at play. If you are feeling pain in your shoulders, however, like Atlas with the world on his shoulders, you may be asking far too much of them. Do you perform repetitive tasks such as lifting items, especially heavy ones, overhead (as in stocking shelves or working in the kitchen), or are you involved in a sport that requires repeated rotational motion, like golf or tennis? Persistent, recurrent movements of the shoulder can irritate nerves, stress joints, and break down tissue. However, in general, healthy shoulders can handle persistent motion without pain or other symptoms developing. After all, shoulders were constructed to pull double-duty! Pain in your shoulders is a signal that something is wrong and needs attention. Shoulder problems commonly take place in the ligaments and a group of muscles (and their tendon attachments) called the rotator cuff. The structure of the rotator cuff gives you the ability to push, throw, and raise your arms above your head. It is the result of this elegant combination that permits the greatest range of motion of any joint in your body. That is to say, its healthy, unimpeded movement allows you to be fully functional. These muscles and tendons join your upper arm bone with your shoulder blade and, in addition, hold the ball of your upper arm firmly in its shoulder socket. When the nerves are inflamed, your shoulder muscles become taut, even fatigued. Movement is painful and restricted. The severity of this shoulder impingement syndrome can vary from a slight "catching" pain upon movement (overhead in particular) to an almost total disability of the shoulder. If the pain is intermittent, it may be tempting to think that the problem will take care of itself. But, it is important to remember that you should never disregard shoulder pain or go ahead with an activity while in pain. Shoulder impingement conditions won't go away without professional management, and will likely worsen over time. If ignored, correction may require surgery and difficult rehab. Professional diagnosis and care should be arranged as soon as possible after shoulder pain is felt. Your chiropractor is extraordinarily knowledgeable when it comes to muscular-skeletal dysfunction, 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 source. 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 problem, but will support you in preventing shoulder problems in the future. The Article Author: Dr. Jamie Phillips, a chiropractor in Santa Barbara, has been a successful chiropractor for over twenty years and has assisted thousands of people in pain to get their life back. |
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