It may surprise people how many patients come to me complaining of pinching, radiating, and stabbing shoulder pain. Odd you may think. I thought chiropractors only worked on backs, necks, and headaches. WRONG! Treating extremities is actually a specialty of mine at Optimal Chiropractic, and adjustments and other rehabilitation treatment can be extremely effective to eliminate the pain utilizing speedy and safe methods.

Shoulders have always been an important joint that I focus on due to many reasons. First and foremost, being a softball players, pitcher, and athlete all my life, I find that the most mobile joint in the body (the shoulder) also tends to be the most commonly broken down. Therefore, I have a very personal relationship and lots of experiences with shoulder pain in my own life. This joint is extremely important. If you look at the anatomy of the shoulder it is surrounded by muscles, tendons, bursa, blood vessels, and of course NERVES! With all this chaos in one joint, it is no wonder by slight irritation can cause pain, weakness, and dysfunction.

So what do I do in the case of shoulder pain? First of all, I check your neck. It is so common that a person will complain to me about numbness, radiation, sharp pain in their shoulder and through their arm. Well, Guess what? It is coming from nerve impingement in your neck! Simple chiropractic neck manipulations can often relieve these symptoms immediately. Neck adjustments and specific shoulder adjustments are typically used together in my office to ensure the nerve impingement is eliminated, and therefore the shoulder can heal appropriately.

Sometimes, the problem is much more than a nerve blockage. Maybe you injured the muscle and tendons by trying to show off your strength at the gym (Cough, cough: MEN!)? Well guess what? I CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS TOO! First of all, these types of injuries often need instant inflammation relief using ice. There is way too many times I have patients come in with an injured shoulder saying “I put heat on it last night to help the pain, and it hurts more than ever today!” Okay, well just stop with the heat for recent injuries. It inflames the area more and more. In the case of muscle, tendon, and ligament damage a long list of chiropractic rehabilatation may be used in your case to heal the area correctly. Optimal Chiropractic uses muscle stimulation therapy, Graston myofascial release, Active Release Therapy, Kinesiotaping, Ultrasound, or many other types of techniques in order to heal and get you back functioning as soon as possible. Our office also offers massage therapy, trigger point therapy, nutritional support, posture analysis, and passive & active exercise rehab for the shoulder girdle to get the healing process not only kick-started toward the correct direction; but also keep the shoulders healthy for the long haul.

Call Optimal Chiropractic to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ashley Nelson today. We make it our top priority to keep you healthy and healing day in and day out! Our office is located in Crown Point, Indiana 219-661-8680. Also check out www.crownpointchiro.com for our new patient specials.