Shoulder Problems and Chiropractic
Shoulder problems are very common, and often serious, but the majority of shoulder issues are related to one simple concept that can be managed with the correct treatment. The shoulder is not a normal joint. Instead of a ball and cup, the shape of the shoulder is a ball and plate. This allows for a much greater range of motion but predisposes it to problems. If the muscles that stabilize the joint are not sufficiently strong enough, the end of the humerus bone will move around too much in the joint, irritating structures. The result can be inflammation, muscle strain, ligament and cartilage damage, bursitis and tendinitis, or eventual rupture of tendons. However, as long as there is only partial tendon tear or less, the problem can be rehabilitated quite easily.
The first part of shoulder rehabilitation is reducing the trigger points (like knots) in the Rotator Cuff muscles. These form when the Rotator Cuff muscles are overworked and not strong enough to stabilise the joint, and they cause a large part of shoulder pain. Therapeutic massage (holding not rubbing) these points can reduce the trigger points dramatically in a week or two, and they can be done at home with a tennis ball. However, if the muscles are not strengthened these trigger points will reform.
The second part consists of strengthening the four rotator cuff muscles *(Teres Minor, Inraspinatus, Superspinatus, and Subscapularis). This can be done with theraband exercises, again at home. Many of the theraband exercises given by many practitioners and very outdated, but Stefan has a lot of experience with this subject, and can give you the most modern exercises with the best results.
Lastly, shoulder problems, posture, and neck issues are often inter-related, so many people will also have cervico-dorsal dysfunction that needs to be corrected.