Shoulder impingement is one of the most common shoulder complaints we see.

If you are an athlete who throws, do any kind of workout where you're putting your arms overhead or simply have to repetitively work overhead in your job chances are you've dealt with some sort of shoulder pain throughout your life. It's statistically very likely that shoulder pain is caused by an impingement.

We know that upwards of 95% of rotator cuff tears begin with impingement. Many times impingement can feel like an issue deep in the joint, and if not addressed it could lead to worse symptoms. Many patients may feel like their only option is injections or surgery but conservative care can very often fix the issue if we catch it early enough. 

 

So what is shoulder impingement?

Impingement is typically caused by a loss of space in the subacromial area between the bursa of the shoulder and the bone called the humerus. This can lead to repetitive stress on the rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis aka SITS muscles). This can cause dull or sharp and achy pain right under the acromion process on top of the shoulder. Some of the most common factors that cause this include:

  • AC joint degeneration but this is not likely in patients younger than 60 years old.
  • Thickening of the coracoacromial ligament due to overuse, this thickening can reduce the space.
  • Sick Scapula aka scapular dyskinesia, poor motor control of the joints of the shoulder can lead to overuse of one or more of the muscles.
  • Upper crossed syndrome aka poor posture is a very common cause of shoulder impingement due to the compensations it tends to lead towards. 

How can a chiropractor help with shoulder impingement?

First and foremost, a sports chiropractor will have the tools to assess the area and ensure that this is what we are dealing with, help to unravel what the cause likely is, and how to fix it. 

We tend to triage issues as joint, soft tissue, and motor control so we would start by looking into the shoulder and surrounding joints to make sure they are moving well through the desired range. This can be affected by chiropractic adjustments as well as low-grade mobilizations.

Once the joints are moving better we follow up with any of our soft tissue therapies to deal with any tension or trigger points that could be causing pain or altered movement patterns. 

Now that we have cleared up any joint or soft tissue problems we will come back with rehabilitation exercises to help keep the new pain-free range of motion that the patient has access to. 

After all of these are taken care of we offer adjunctive therapies such as low-level laser therapy and kinesiotaping to quickly help with inflammation and pain. 

When do I seek care?

Any of the symptoms of shoulder impingement could be a sign it's time to see your local sports chiropractor. At Movement Cube Chiropractic + Rehab in Catoosa, we can typically get you in for same-day appointments by clicking on the schedule button below or giving us a call at 918-416-7238.

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