Patients have asked us how the adjustment at the top of the neck had eased the shoulder pain that they came in with. When individuals have shoulder pain, they often go to the medical doctor. Most frequently, the visit results with some sort of over-the-counter or prescription pain or anti-inflammatory medication. The medication may temporarily help with the pain, but the pain will continue to come back until the underlying cause of the pain is addressed.
Underlying causes of shoulder pain can be attributed to posture and poor body mechanics as a result of misalignments in the spinal column. When the position of the head is altered from any type of accident or injury, the shoulders will become unleveled. Sometimes you can see this postural change in the mirror where one shoulder is lower than the other. This postural imbalance can lead to overuse or straining of the shoulder with everyday activities or when we play sports.
Upper cervical chiropractors seek the underlying cause of your shoulder problems. An upper cervical chiropractor will look for postural imbalances that may be causing dysfunction in your shoulder. Misalignments in the spine can also lead to nerve irritation leading to numbness, tingling and pain in the shoulder and arm. Nerves travel from the neck and innervate the shoulders, arms and hands and when they are irritated, pain is present.
An upper cervical chiropractor is able to correct these underlying postural imbalances without any of the popping, cracking or twisting of the spine common with general chiropractic manipulation. Because the upper cervical approach is non-traumatic to your spine, it leads to maximum recovery for misaligned joints and structures.
Upper Cervical Chiropractors also have a large knowledge of exercises that can help to strengthen the muscles that will support the alignment and help keep it in place. Many individuals have felt instantly better after going to an upper cervical chiropractor.
We use our shoulders everyday and pain can limit our activities. Shoulder injuries may happen at the most inconvenient time and we need to respect our bodies’ pain signals. Pain is usually the last symptom to an underlying issue that has been there for years. If you suffer from shoulder pain, come in and meet with the doctor and she can see if upper cervical chiropractic will help you!