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Join Airrosti’s Brittany Bankson, DC, as she goes over the common causes of shoulder pain. She’ll dig into the signs and symptoms associated with different shoulder injuries. She also describes how Airrosti addresses shoulder pain using targeted manual therapy and active rehab exercises.
The shoulder works with surrounding muscles and tendons to allow for a broad range of motion in the arm. Because of the shoulder’s design, our arms can rotate, push, pull, and lift objects overhead with relative ease. Because we rely on the shoulder for daily movements, wear and tear in the shoulder can often lead to painful shoulder injuries. The most common injury that people are concerned about are tears in the rotator cuff.
Typical causes of shoulder pain are overuse and trauma. These occur frequently during activities like weightlifting, football, or gymnastics. Common conditions include bursitis, rotator cuff tendonitis/tears, and shoulder impingement.
Most causes of shoulder pain fall into these two categories:
Symptoms vary depending on the type of shoulder injury. Shoulder injuries will restrict your mobility and likely cause pain when lifting weights or applying pressure. Typically, an injury to the shoulder will be painful and easily aggravated by movement.
Depending on your condition, you may experience any of the following symptoms:
Proper treatment for shoulder problems depends on the precise cause of pain. Your doctor may order tests such as X-Rays and MRIs to diagnose potential causes of pain and help determine the best treatment for your injury. Most times, your doctor may recommend a combination of rest, ice or heat, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or injections for help relieving pain.
While many shoulder conditions can resolve themselves in time with conservative care, some cases can persist for months or even years and restrict your mobility.
Airrosti providers aim to diagnose and treat pain at the source with hands-on manual therapy, combined with targeted active rehab exercises to restore shoulder strength and function. We also give you the tools and resources to address pain as it appears, leaving you to focus on doing the things you love most.
If you’re experiencing shoulder pain, don’t wait. We offer both in-office and telehealth appointments to best suit your needs. Call us at (844) 719-5074 and schedule your appointment today.
Reviewed by Casey Crisp, Doctor of Chiropractic
Disclaimer: Always consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program. If you experience any numbness, tingling or reproduction of your symptoms, please contact your doctor.
I came in with pain in my left shoulder, right elbow, both hips, both knees, and both ankles. Between his re-alignments and the rehab he gave, Dr. Gray has made all of those pains disappear.
by Jakob Wakefield
Dr. Gonzalez and Raul are the BEST at what they do! My story is simple I had been living with shoulder pain for about three years, and consistent popping as well. It literally felt as if my shoulder was popping out of place. I had seen an orthopedic doctor when I first injured myself (I picked up my youngest, and knocked my shoulder out) and he just prescribed pain pills and didn't even bother to look at my shoulder. Fast forward three years, it was getting worse and intolerable to live with so I went to a new orthopedic doctor, he did an xray and told me I had every sign of a slap tear, and after a scan would need surgery. It was a mess, he prescribed me pain pills and his super incompetent nurse had given me the wrong orders so when I ...+ show moreshow up for my scan I was denied and had to wait a month again for a new appt. In the meantime the pain just started getting worse and worse. And I found a new doctor, which then he had me wait 4 hours and his team let me fall between the cracks as well. So when my scan is finally done and so much money later the original docs office calls and says he is referring me to someone else to go over the results. And the "new docs" office said I had to wait a month to go over my results. So I go with the referral, and I'm told there is no tear and my scan was insignificant! So this doc gives me a steroid shot and says come back in two weeks. (He was my favorite of them all because he actually listened and believed me) so the shot relieved some of the pain, but only temporarily, and the back of my shoulder which hadn't really bothered me before was in pain and growing quickly. So I go back and he says let's try physical therapy, so that's my next journey, 4 weeks, twice a week, and the therapy is making my shoulder worse. The last day I went to therapy I told them the weights they added the pervious visit messed up my shoulder even worse and I could barely lift anything. And they said work through the pain. You will only get better if you push yourself, but I was in tears, so I paid for nothing that visit. By this time you can imagine the cost has piled up co pays here and there and the imaging was extremely costly. So I made an appt to see the "new doc" who actually listens. He tells me he can not give a steroid shot in the back of my shoulder because I could be paralyzed from it. And I am crying telling him all the therapy has only made my shoulder worse, and I just want relief. So he suggests going to Airrosti, he was skeptical, and said I don't know if it will help but I met these people and maybe your tissues just need to be worked out. So I call and make an appt, and go in just a few days later. I met Dr. Gonzalez and she explains to me how this process works, and gets to work on my shoulder. The pain of her releasing the tissues is so real, but the best pain I have ever felt in my life, because afterwards on the first appt, is the first sign of long lasting relief I had in years! I went to therapy with Raul after and I left so happy even cried when I got home because I was already feeling relief! I had two more appointments in the summer with them, and I was living a pain free normal life again!! My kids were so happy they could hug me again and not be afraid to hurt me, and I could go back to being myself! Recently over the holidays (hectic times) I got sick after pushing myself with work, school, and kids, so I was in bed for days, slept on my bad shoulder, (no matter what I do my body flips to the bad side in my sleep to face the door, something I started after I had my kids!) so my shoulder started hurting again. I started having a pretty bad headache, consistent for an entire week, and then on New Years Eve, I woke up with such a nasty migraine it caused me vertigo and vomiting, I couldn't walk, I was literally falling over and fell to the ground a few times. So my husband took me to the ER, and they did a CT scan and pumped me with steroids and a IV. They released me and said it was nothing in my brain. Nothing they could find in a scan, or samples. So I came home and slept, the migraine lasted for almost a full week, and my shoulder was in so much pain again. Then it hit me, I overdid it over the holidays and slept on my bad shoulder, the shoulder pain started, and so did the headaches come right along with that! So immediately I contact Dr. Gonzalez, and she agrees and says it might be because of my shoulder. I told her I trust her and Raul much more than having the run around if I go to my regular doc and then having blood work and scans all over again. That is NOT how I wanted to start my New Year, overloaded by medical bills. I literally had to get a job after 13 years of being a stay at home mom because my medical bills were so much last summer! It had been almost two weeks of headache, and a week of the migraine which became so bad I couldn't open my eyes, drive, nothing. I was mostly in bed or with a cold towel on my head. The migraine was concentrated in my left temple, and my left shoulder is my bad shoulder. Oh the irony! So I go in to see doctor Gonzalez, we test my tissues to make sure nothing is torn. She begins working on my shoulder and my neck, and I kid you not within minutes, the migraine is retreating!! By the time she was done I again was in disbelief and telling her she is a miracle worker because my migraine is gone! I 100% believe in Dr. Gonzalez and Raul, they are the best team I've ever come across in the medical field, and I trust them 100%! I know my story is long, but that's exactly what it was, and I know who to see and who to trust with my shoulder! There is this map that Raul has shown me the path that I was on first, the traditional orthopedic journey, now remember I was going to have surgery at one point! And the journey with Airrosti is so much more beneficial and saves a LOT of money! The fact that they give you payment plans also versus having to pay 100% up front, let's you know they are caring for you, not just the money! This team is about making you feel better and living a pain free life, and they achieve it for you, in no time! I cannot say enough wonderful things about them, and I know who to call when I have any tissue issues, 🙂 Thank you Dr. Gonzalez and Raul for helping me live a better life! JLO
by Jennifer Lopez