Does Chiropractic Help With Shoulder Pain?

Chiropractors are known for their abilities in helping people with neck and back pain. The most common reason why someone even considers seeing a chiropractor is for back pain, specifically low back pain. Research and studies and the general consensus is that we can help in this area. What about shoulder pain? Is there anything a chiropractor can do to help shoulder pain?

You can certainly have a chiropractor take a look at and evaluate your shoulder problem. While the spine is most commonly adjusted, the chiropractic adjustment can be performed at any joint. A joint is anywhere two bones meet. In the case of the shoulder, we’ll be looking at three different areas; the clavicle (collarbone), the humerus (upper arm), and the scapula (the shoulder blade).

Any of these joints can move out of their normal position with extended use in the wrong way. Stress and poor posture in the upper back can lead the shoulder blade to become stuck and fixated in the wrong position. The chiropractor can adjust this area and work with the muscles to get things moving again.

The same principles apply to the humerus and the clavicle. There are certain movements in which each bone will take on a more primary role. The chiropractor can feel with his hand if the right areas are moving or not. If the joint is not moving, this means it is likely not functioning correctly. This is where the chiropractor’s expertise can be of most use.

The first evaluation of the shoulder is really to see if any of the muscles, ligaments, or tendons have torn. Depending on the severity of the tear, you may need an immediate referral for an MRI and a visit to an orthopedic specialist. You don’t want someone moving your bones around if you have a tear, and the chiropractor doesn’t want to do that either.

If you haven’t had any trauma to the shoulder joint and the pain has just come on gradually over the years. The chiropractor can take a look and provide adjustments and work to the muscles that can make a world of difference.

June 6-12 National Headache Awareness Week

Hello headache sufferer's. The following article is full of research based information that can help you end your pain. It demonstrates how massage aids in headache relief.

Massage Reduces Headache Frequency
Massage significantly reduced the number of headaches experienced by people with chronic tension headaches, and decreased the duration of the headaches, according to a recent study.

"Massage Therapy and Frequency of Chronic Tension Headaches" was conducted by Christopher Quinn, Clint Chandler and Albert Moraska, Ph.D., of the Boulder College of Massage Therapy in Boulder, Colorado.

Four people who had experienced two to three headaches per week for the past six years or more participated in the study, which lasted eight weeks. During the first four weeks, baseline headache measures were recorded. Throughout the last four weeks, participants received two 30-minute massages per week.

A standardized massage protocol was used, consisting of six phases that fit in the 30-minute time period: preparatory tissue warm-up (three minutes), myofascial release (five minutes), axial cervical traction (two minutes), trigger-point therapy (15 minutes), facilitated stretching (five minutes) and session closure (three to five minutes).

The trigger-point therapy, which made up the bulk of the routine, consisted of scanning palpation of the upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, suboccipital, splenius capitis, levator scapulae and temporalis muscles.

"When located, active trigger points were treated by pincer or flat palpation with just enough pressure to elicit referred pain or autonomic referral phenomena," state the study's authors.
The pressure was maintained until the referral pain ceased, or for a maximum of two minutes, then slowly eased to produce a vascular flushing. In a typical session, six active trigger points were treated, and the procedure was repeated three to five times on each point.

Every night before bed participants completed a headache diary form, recording number of headaches, intensity of most severe headache, and duration of longest headache.

Each subject experienced a reduction in headaches within the first week of massage treatment, and the mean number of headaches per week was significantly reduced from 6.8 to 2 during the four weeks of massage.

"Because our therapeutic massage protocol specifically addressed trigger-point activity, we believe that the reduction in activity of these regions by massage was a major contributor to the observed beneficial effects on tension headache," state the study's authors.

Although duration of headache decreased for all four subjects, the decrease was not statistically significant, and there was no significant change in headache intensity.

"The findings suggest that a larger, more complete study that includes a proper control group is warranted," state the study's authors.

- Source: Boulder College of Massage Therapy. Authors: Christopher Quinn, Clint Chandler and Albert Moraska, Ph.D. Originally published in American Journal of Public Health, October 2002, Vol. 92, No. 10, pp. 1,657-1,661

While this study was statistically inclusive, as many small population studies are, the reality of reduced headache frequency in participants is clear.

So if you're experiencing regular headaches, even one per week, give massage a try. The worst that can happen is that you will leave relaxed, refreshed, and potentially headache free.

**Thanks to Lyn Yancha, LMP for finding this article**