Do you suffer from a shoulder injury?
If you do, you’re not alone. In fact, a recent study found that over 40 million Americans have experienced shoulder injuries in the past year. And while some of these people may be experiencing temporary discomfort, others are dealing with chronic issues that can severely impact their quality of life.
If you’ve been suffering from shoulder injuries and haven’t seen any improvement through other treatment methods, it might be time to consider one of our providers who could sit down with you and discuss your options.
Injury to the shoulder can range from a tear in the muscles, tendons, or even the shoulder labrum (the cartilage that protects the ball and socket joint). Additionally, you may also have an injury to other areas of the shoulder, including the collarbone or shoulder blade.
Types of Shoulder Injuries
Dislocation 
Dislocation is when the top of your arm pops out of its socket, causing pain and weakness in your shoulder. You will also have swelling, numbness, and bruising.
Separation
A fall or hard blow tears the ligaments holding it together and causes a bump on top of your shoulder. This injury affects the joint where your collarbone and shoulder blade come together, called the acromioclavicular (AC) joint.
Fracture
If you fall or take a hard hit, it’s possible to break bones. The most common breaks are the clavicle and humerus which can cause pain that may bruise. If your collarbone is broken, one of the effects could be that your shoulder sags and you cannot lift an arm well.
Cartilage tear
You can injure your shoulder cartilage which makes it a little harder to move the joint which could lead you to feel pain when reaching overhead along with difficulty moving. If injured badly, your arm might also feel weak and have trouble holding weight.
Some of these symptoms may include catching, locking, or grinding feelings in your shoulder, so are sure to get yourself checked out by a doctor immediately.
Rotator cuff tear
If you are suffering from pain in your shoulders, it could be because of damage to the rotator cuff. This is a group of muscles and tendons which hold your arm in place so that you can lift them overhead easily. The rotator cuff becomes vulnerable due to overuse or falls resulting in injuries like an audible crackling sound when moving arms along with nighttime pains, especially during sleep hours.
Frozen shoulder
The condition of limited movement in your shoulder is caused by abnormal bands of tissue (adhesions) that build up and limit how much you can move it. The cause could be pain or surgery causing less use, allowing the adhesion to occur. Adhesions lead to impingement where tendons get pinned down while lifting arms overhead which causes swelling and discomfort if done too often.
Bursitis
If you experience pain that worsens when moving your shoulder, especially if it’s the result of a fall or other injury, this could indicate bursitis.
Bursa sacs can become irritated and swollen after repeated movements such as those required to use your computer for hours at a time. If so, take precautions – like getting up regularly and stretching out sore muscles – before working again; otherwise, you’re likely to aggravate the condition further with every subsequent keystroke.
Signs and Symptoms of Shoulder Injury
Symptoms may include pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, weakness, changes in temperature or color, or changes in your range of motion.
Shoulder injuries most commonly occur during sports activities, work-related tasks, projects around the home, or falls. Home treatment often can help relieve minor aches and pains.
How Is Shoulder Pain Diagnosed?
Your doctor will check your range of motion to see how strong and flexible your shoulder is. This involves moving it in various ways, like above or behind you, rotating 90° or 180° degrees around the joint.
Your doctor will conduct a physical exam before testing them for structural problems in both spine and neck areas which involve imaging tests to get a closer look at your shoulder. These may include an X-ray, MRI scan, and CT scan.
How is Shoulder Injury Treated?
The treatment of shoulder injuries can depend upon a number of factors. Most importantly, a proper diagnosis is where to start.
Once the diagnosis is made, courses of treatment can involve conservative care such as rest, therapies, or manipulation techniques. More serious injuries may require more aggressive options such as medications or surgery. However, ultimately the goal is to return the shoulder area to full function without pain.
Conclusion on Shoulder Injury
A shoulder injury is a complicated problem that requires a doctor’s care. It isn’t easy to know if you have shoulder tendonitis, frozen shoulder, or something more serious like a rotator cuff tear.
The good news is that there are shoulder experts who can help you with your pain and get you back on track as quickly as possible. But finding the right one for your needs can be overwhelming because they all seem so similar on paper. You don’t want to waste time going to someone who doesn’t specialize in what you need.
The chiropractors at N8 Family Chiropractic offer personalized treatment plans designed specifically for each individual patient and their unique condition, which means we’re able to provide effective treatments for everyone from athletes recovering from sports injuries, to office workers suffering from repetitive stress injuries (RSI) and anyone else looking for relief from joint pain caused by injury or overuse.
