The shoulder is a ball and socket joint with a lot of movement. It is supported by the shoulder girdle made up of the scapula (shoulder blade), humerus, clavicle (collarbone), and rib cage. There are many structures which help to create movement and/or provide stability at the shoulder such as muscles, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, bursae, nerves and bones.
The shoulder often lacks the stability and coordination to control it’s position throughout greater movements. Structures such as ligaments, cartilage and the rotator cuff muscles play an important role in the shoulders stability. The neck, thoracic spine and ribcage have an influence on overall shoulder function. Joint stiffness through the thoracic spine may place more load demands on the shoulder to complete tasks such as reaching overhead or lifting.
Common conditions seen at / around the shoulder include:
- Rotator cuff tears/strains
- Rotator cuff tendinopathy
- Sub-acromial impingement
- Labral tears
- Adhesive capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)
- Dislocations
- Referred pain from the neck
What you can expect from each chiro appointment:
- 1 on 1 appointments only.
- We have longer appointment times to allow us to go through every step
- Clear diagnosis and plan. We explain everything.
- We don’t do any treatments you don’t wish. We treat everyone individually.
- We will help reduce your pain, get you back moving and achieving your movement goals.
It is important to have a thorough history and examination to determine an accurate diagnosis of the likely cause of your shoulder pain. Once this is determined management most often follows a multimodal approach including:
- Advice and education: about what might be causing your shoulder pain, how long it’s likely to take to get better and the movements/exercises/habits which you need to avoid / do to help the shoulder improve.
- Exercises: focused exercise plan aimed at reducing your pain and improving your shoulder function. This may involve strengthening weaker muscles, improving the coordination of your shoulder through movement or stretching to areas such as the thoracic spine. It is also important to allow adequate rest / recovery to allow muscles and tendons to adapt to the exercise.
- Manual therapy: including massage and joint mobilisations can help reduce pain and improve mobility quickly.
FAQ’s
Will you crack my neck?
No. We understand that “cracking” the neck or other joints can be scary or not your cup of tea so we don’t need to do it. We pride ourselves on being able to tailor a treatment approach which is specific to you. If we believe you have a joint which is stiff there are many ways we can improve its motion and cracking / manipulation is one of various options.
Does it hurt?
No. We understand that you are likely already in pain and thus adding more pain to the equation seems illogical and counterintuitive. Our primary aim within the first few appointments if to get you out of pain so we choose to provide treatments which do this. When giving you exercises we can sometime expect some soreness, however this should settle quickly.
Will I have to see you forever?
No. We strongly believe in empowering and educating our community towards being able to self-manage their pain and injuries. Our goal is to educate you on every phase of your care including discharging you from our care. This gives you confidence to get back to all the activities you love most.
How much does it cost?
We have a variety of treatment options which will depend on the individual. We aim to work with you….
