Facts About Shoulder Pain

The shoulder joint (Gleno-humeral joint) is a complex joint which is very commonly injured. It is a shallow ball and socket joint which relies on stabilisation coming from the surrounding soft tissues. This gives the shoulder a wide range of motion, but these characteristics also make it prone to injury. There are four joints in the shoulder

– Gleno-humeral
– Acromio-clavicular
– Scapula-thoracic
– Sterno-clavicular

All of these have to function properly for good shoulder mobility.

Shoulder pain can be caused by a number of reasons, it occurs when the joints, muscles or ligaments become damaged or inflamed from undertaking repetitive motions, yanking or falling on an arm. Poor posture is another well recognised trigger for shoulder pain.

A condition we regularly treat in the Newport clinic is adhesive capsulitis or “frozen shoulder”. This condition occurs when chronic inflammation with the shoulder joint progresses and leads to accumulation of scar tissue or adhesions within the joint. If this condition is left untreated the shoulder may become severely limited in movement.

All of our chiropractors at Ridgeway Chiropractic Clinic believe that restoring the shoulders full range of motion requires a combination of treatments which address both the joint mechanics as well as treating the musculature which supports and stabilises the shoulder.