People often take their shoulders for granted until the pain makes working, doing chores, or playing with their kids impossible. But, shoulder pain can be manageable and, in many cases, treated with the right pain management and rehabilitation treatment plan.
Before you resort to invasive surgeries with long recovery periods or pharmaceutical solutions with potentially severe side effects, schedule a consultation with our chiropractic and wellness team.
Getting the proper shoulder pain management and rehabilitation treatment plan can help you regain strength and range of motion.
Optimum Health Rehab’s expert pain specialists will assist in diagnosing and treating the pain you have been experiencing.
We offer a comprehensive suite of physical rehabilitation and shoulder pain management services to help you regain your range of motion and restore mobility and health. Call us at (678)546-8044 to schedule your appointment, or complete our online form today.
When to Seek Shoulder Pain Treatment
Shoulder pain does not always come from a singular source. In fact, it can stem from age, overuse, or injury.
For many, shoulder pain goes away over the course of a few days, but when the pain is consistent and is having a severe impact on your quality of life, it may be time to seek medical help.
Some symptoms of potential severe shoulder pain include:
- Numbness, weakness, or tingling in the hand or forearm.
- Pain and discomfort that interrupts sleep.
- Pain and stiffness that persists for more than a few days.
- Pain related to acute trauma, including falls, car accidents, sports injuries, and other events.
- Pain that makes it difficult to concentrate.
- Radiating pain felt in the neck, upper back, or lumbar region.
- Severely restricted mobility of the arm affected.
Shoulders are a complicated part of the human body, and many things can go wrong, leading to pain and discomfort while doing the things you love.
The best treatment for one patient may not work for another, which is why you should seek out pain management and injury treatment clinics that don’t rely on one-size-fits-all approaches to shoulder pain.
The team at Optimum Health Rehab has decades of combined experience in injury care and an array of diagnostic equipment to pinpoint the root cause of your shoulder pain. We will recommend a customized plan for each patient’s circumstances and needs.
Common Causes of Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain can be caused by strain or injury. Some patients fear that they will need surgery or strong painkillers to get through injuries in their shoulders, but in most cases, treatments like physical rehabilitation and chiropractic adjustments provide pain relief.
Our wellness experts can combine chiropractic adjustments with other treatments like exercises and stretches that may even completely resolve the problem for some patients.
Shoulder Impingement
One of the most common causes of shoulder pain is called shoulder impingement, which is often caused by overuse of the shoulder. When this condition occurs, the shoulder blade rubs up against the rotator cuff, which keeps the shoulder joint in place and functioning.
The result is inflammation, tenderness, and stiffness in the shoulder.
Car Accidents
Whiplash is probably the most common form of injury seen in car accidents that occurs when the head is forced forward and back in a quick motion.
Motions like this apply unnecessary stress on the neck and the spine and, ultimately, can be very painful for a very long time if left untreated. Worst of all, whiplash injuries are not always apparent at the accident scene but make themselves known weeks and even months later.
The shoulder is connected by multiple muscles, bones, and tendons that provide support for proper function, but since the neck is right by the shoulder, whiplash or other neck injuries can cause pain in the shoulder.
Especially in cases where the seatbelt locks and creates a tight restraint against the car seat, it can directly compress and cause injury to the shoulder.
Overuse and Strain
Overusing a muscle, especially when incorporating a new movement or habit into one’s lifestyle, can lead to shoulder injury or pain. For many, treatment options from this source of activity are rest, anti-inflammatory drugs, and stretching exercises.
Arthritis
As people age, the cartilage that is lubricating their joints starts to fade away, and in place, they find themselves suffering from limited mobility and pain. The most common cause is overuse of the joint, and it can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone shots, and rest.
For some patients, replacing the joint altogether is the only way to resolve their pain.
Dacula Shoulder Pain Specialists
Your first visit will likely be with chiropractors and medical professionals who will determine your shoulder pain’s root cause and severity. Our medical professionals may order imaging to properly diagnose the source of your pain.
Once a proper diagnosis has been made, a treatment plan that is unique to the individual and their needs can be developed. Treatments could include manual chiropractic adjustments and physical therapy techniques.
Physical medicine and rehabilitation are two of the greatest tools to strengthen the shoulder, joints, and muscles. Patients may also be prescribed special stretching and gentle exercises, which are designed to restore strength without aggravating injuries.
Treatment programs are designed to combine chiropractic, wellness, and physical rehabilitation strategies to manage your pain.
At Optimum Health Rehab, we frequently prescribe medication in conjunction with more natural therapies. Treatment for shoulder pain may combine conventional methods as well as holistic and allopathic treatment plans.
One treatment that is not offered is invasive surgery. Our goal is always to help patients overcome shoulder pain and regain a full range of motion without the need for surgery.
Some therapies we could recommend based on the results of your diagnostic tests include the following.
Chiropractic Adjustment
Chiropractic care is beneficial to more conditions than just back pain. Misaligned or compressed parts of the spine can cause pain throughout various parts of the body, including the shoulder.
Even more, when there are misalignments or injuries of the neck or ribcage, patients can face shoulder pain, as well. These kinds of misalignments can be resolved with chiropractic care.
Myofascial Release
Myofascial release therapy is a common treatment for myofascial tissues, which are the tough membranes that wrap and connect to help support other muscular structures in the body.
These tissues are found in many parts of the human body, including the shoulder, and help other parts of the body move. The pain felt in myofascial tissues is caused by trigger points, which cause stiffness and limited mobility.
Usually, these tissues are flexible and bend as needed so your muscles can move freely. However, stress, overuse, or injury can cause them to stiffen.
In a myofascial release treatment, an experienced massage therapist will gently palpate the myofascial tissue, looking for stiff and tense areas. When one is found, the therapist will massage and stretch the tissue until the tension is resolved.
Patients may find that after their treatment, there is some soreness in their muscles, but it should clear in a few days.
Neurology Services
Shoulder pain can be caused by damage or nerve compression rather than an injury to the joint or supporting muscles. These nerves may be in the spinal cord, shoulder, or somewhere in between both areas.
Our Optimum Health Rehab specialists will perform a neurological evaluation, diagnose any nerve difficulties that could be causing pain, and set out a treatment plan to address them.
Treatment programs may involve several other forms of therapy, including spinal manipulation, physical therapy, or pain management injections in isolated areas.
Regenerative Medicine
Spinal misalignment and injuries to the ribcage are not the only possible cause of shoulder pain. There is the possibility that a patient has issues with one or more of the eight muscles that support the range of motion in shoulder movements.
Even more, there are four tendons and three ligaments responsible for the successful movement of the shoulder that can be injured or damaged and result in persistent and severe pain.
Like the shoulder joint, these tissues face a lot of strain as we go about our everyday lives, lifting and carrying things, whether at work, at home, or even while exercising at the gym. Additionally, acute injuries from an accident or a sports activity can tear or damage your shoulder’s delicate muscles and tendons, causing excruciating pain and limited mobility and strength.
When other treatments haven’t provided enough pain relief for a soft tissue injury in the shoulder, we may try a platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, injection. This consists of plasma taken from the patient’s blood, separated into platelet-rich and platelet-poor plasma.
Then, we inject the platelet-rich plasma into the shoulder during the same visit. Its bio proteins and growth hormones speed up the healing process, and many patients finally get the relief they need without surgery.
Visit One of Our Georgia Clinics for Shoulder Pain Treatment
Don't Let Your Shoulder Pain Get in the Way
At Optimum Health Rehab Dacula/ Hamilton Mill, our chiropractic and medical team is committed to developing shoulder pain treatment plans to help restore a full range of pain-free motion.
Call (678)546-8044 or contact us online to schedule your appointment. It’s time to end your shoulder pain.