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What causes shoulder and arm pain?
 The cause of
many instances of shoulder or arm pain is obvious. You do something to
injure the arm or shoulder and immediately feel pain. Or you begin
feeling the pain a day or so later. You may have broken a bone or
dislocated your shoulder. Perhaps you strained tendons or ligaments by
carrying to much weight for too long, by lifting something that was too
heavy, overreaching or overexerting your arm – as when playing sports
when you’re out of shape – or by keeping your arm in an awkward
position, or even by sleeping on the shoulder. The resulting pain may
range from an annoying ache to acute pain that makes it hard for you to
use the injured arm. Fortunately, the majority of such injuries are
seldom critical.
But there are
other, less-obvious causes of shoulder or arm pain. Each is
distinguished by where it is felt, whether it comes on suddenly or over
time, when it is at its worst, if the pain extends to other joints in
your body, and if other symptoms – such as swelling, numbness, tinkling,
fever, fatigue, and insomnia – accompany the pain. The causes of
shoulder and arm pain include tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, and gout.
Such pain may also result from a reaction to medications such as
penicillin, anti-anxiety drugs, and oral contraceptives. Whiplash
injuries, common in auto accidents, can also cause shoulder and arm
pain.
Shoulder and
arm pain may be referred from some other region of the body, as when
someone suffering a heart attack feels pain in the left shoulder and
down the left arm. The pain may also be referred from nerves associated
with the3 joints in the upper spine or “trigger points” in the back,
which are particularly responsive to chiropractic spinal adjustments
designed to treat such problems.
What can chiropractic do?
Your
chiropractor will examine you and conduct diagnostic tests to determine
exactly what is causing yor shoulder or arm pain. Because the causes and
the seriousness of different conditions are so varied, it is important
to pinpoint the cause and begin the most appropriate treatment. He or
she will discover if you problem is mild and transitory or serious and
likely to trouble you for a long time. A broken bone cannot be treated
in the same manner as bursitis or tendonitis. Arthritis and gout call
for different care than pain originating in nerves supplying the
shoulder and arm. Your chiropractor will decide which treatment will be
best for you and if referral to a specialist will be necessary.
Chiropractic can be successfully
employed to deal with so-called frozen shoulder, a sever inflammation
technically known as adhesive capsulitis. Chiropractors are accustomed
to relieving painful trigger points between the spine and shoulder. Many
chiropractors, especially those with additional training in sports
medicine, are experienced in the care and rehabilitation of professional
and amateur athletes who have injured their shoulders or arms. And all
chiropractors can help you modify your habits and lifestyle to protest
yourself from arm and shoulder injuries and ailments.
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