If you’ve ever injured your shoulder, you know how debilitating it can be. We use our shoulders for everything, whether consciously or not. There is no need to simply endure shoulder injuries with a smile. A visit to the chiropractor can bring much-needed relief.

Chiropractic for Shoulders

The shoulder is the largest joint in the human body and one of the most complicated. The complexity of the joint is one of the reasons that injuries to the shoulder are so common. The fact that the shoulder is used so frequently also contributes to incidents of injury. Shoulder injuries are the common result of vehicle accidents, sports impacts, and even simply sitting at a desk. 

With the incidence of shoulder injury so high, it may be tempting to think that one simply has to grin and bear the pain. Fortunately, this isn’t true. Chiropractic care can help patients find relief and renewed range of motion without invasive treatment like surgery. 

Which Shoulder Injuries Can a Chiropractor Treat?

While this list of common shoulder injuries is not comprehensive, it does represent a large percentage of problems with the joint.

• Arthritis—Arthritis is a chronic condition which inflames the joints. It is highly common amongst adults and can be caused by physical action (which is the case with osteoarthritis) or an autoimmune disorder like rheumatoid arthritis.
• Frozen shoulder—Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, describes tightened and thickened connective tissue near the shoulder joint. It frequently results after other injuries to the shoulder and limits the joint’s mobility. 
• Tendonitis—Tendonitis in the shoulder occurs when the tendons of the biceps or rotator cuff become irritated or inflamed. Tendonitis can be the result of dramatic physical injury or the simple repetitive motions of certain daily tasks. The condition heals slowly and painfully.
• Bursitis—Bursitis describes the inflammation or irritation of the bursa, the fluid-filled sac which protects the shoulder’s tendons. Restricted movement and even frozen shoulder can result.
• Pinched nerve—Shoulder injuries can lead to swelling or physiological shifting that can put pressure on the nerves in the shoulder. This “pinching” can cause pain to radiate down the entire arm.
• Damage to the rotator cuff—The rotator cuff includes the tendons and muscles that surround the shoulder joint and make lifting and rotating the arm possible. Injuries to the rotator cuff can include everything from spraining to tearing to gradual deterioration. 
• Dislocation—Dislocations occur after trauma to the shoulder joint. The initial pain as the humerus pops out of the glenoid cavity is sharp followed by aching or even numbness. Partial dislocation is referred to as an AC joint subluxation. Dislocated joints are more vulnerable to repeat dislocation.

Can a Chiropractor Correct Shoulder Pain?

Chiropractors are doctors of the spine, but that also includes a deep understanding of the body’s skeletal and nervous systems. Chiropractic care is well-documented to help relieve the pain of shoulder injuries and improve alignment to avoid further damage. If you suffer from a shoulder injury, recent or past, reach out to visit your chiropractor today. 

A recent study about treating frozen shoulder specifically saw complete resolution in 82% of cases. One of the best things to be said for chiropractic care and injured shoulders is that very little effort yields incredible relief. Without the invasive and expensive drawbacks of surgery, a chiropractor can improve range of motion by 10 degrees with just one visit. 

When you visit the chiropractor for the treatment of a shoulder injury, the chiropractor will look at the problem holistically. Often problems in the shoulder stem from other areas of the body, including the spine. The doctor can correct past misalignments, yielding better health in more than just the shoulder. 

The chiropractor is a specialist, so in addition to correcting alignment for pain relief, he or she can also advise strategies to strengthen your shoulder for the future. In this way, risk of further injury—including dislocation—is reduced. You can do nothing better to help your shoulders be healthy and strong.

How to Avoid Shoulder Pain

While avoiding pain completely is an unrealistic hope for anyone, there are strategies for minimizing your risk of shoulder injuries. The key is to keep your muscles strong and flexible. Limber muscles are less likely to tear or strain. Find strengthening exercises that work for you, and always stretch adequately, pushing yourself appropriately to improve flexibility. Working on your posture can also help keep your shoulders aligned properly so deskwork and other repetitive tasks don’t lead to discomfort or pain.

Before you start chiropractic treatment, you want to ensure that the chiropractor is a good fit and that you can trust them to help you feel better. It can be challenging to know whether or not you should see a chiropractor, especially in this day and age where people can post fake reviews and testimonials that sound amazing. Fortunately, we’re here to help with a list of questions to ask your chiropractor.

Armed with these, you should be able to find a reputable chiropractor to treat you. So, without further ado, here are 4 essential questions to ask your chiropractor.

#1. Are You Licensed?

A chiropractor without a license is in no position to provide treatment to anyone. Chiropractors are Doctors of Chiropractic. In order to be a chiropractor, you need to get your bachelor’s degree, then your chiropractic degree. Typically, this is an additional 3 years of schooling on top of your undergraduate degree. Then, after earning the degree, your chiropractor needs to be certified by passing the NCBE (National Board of Chiropractic Examiners) exam. 

Once obtaining their license, chiropractors need to ensure that they renew it as needed. Depending on the state, this can vary. Generally speaking, chiropractors need to renew their licenses every 1-3 years. 

A chiropractor without a license does not have the right to practice. As such, this is one of the most important questions to ask your chiropractor. A reputable, honest chiropractor will have no problem telling you this.

#2. Can I Speak To Your References?

As previously mentioned, it’s easy for anyone to put a slider with glowing testimonials on their site. It’s also incredibly easy for people to buy fake reviews to boost their overall rating. As such, it can be difficult to know whether or not testimonials and reviews are trustworthy and truthful.

An established chiropractor should be able to provide you with references from both satisfied clients and other chiropractors. You can also check third-party review sites like TrustPilot, which are independent, meaning the reviews there are from real people who have really gone to this place. All of these questions to ask your chiropractor can give you a feel for whether or not they are trustworthy.

#3. Will Chiropractic Care Help Me?

This is one of those questions to ask your chiropractor that helps you test the waters and get a feel for how you can expect to be treated by them. Some chiropractors claim that chiropractic care can help pretty much anything and anyone. These are typically also the chiropractors that try to put you on a “maintenance plan” even after the issue you saw them for has been healed.

A chiropractor should be honest and upfront about whether or not chiropractic care is even a good treatment option for you. They should be willing to work with other medical professionals and provide you with references to others who can provide you with the treatment they can’t. They should also be willing to work with your existing medical team. 

Depending on the case and what you’re seeking treatment for, your chiropractor may advise you to give a couple of chiropractic sessions a try. However, if you don’t notice a difference, or you do notice a difference in a bad way, you should be able to trust your chiropractor to refer you to someone else better suited to help your specific condition.

#4. How Long Will I Be In Treatment?

This is another one of the questions to ask your chiropractor that gives you a feel for whether or not you can trust them. Your chiropractor won’t be able to tell you exactly how many sessions it will take to improve your condition, as this can vary based on a wide variety of factors. However, they should be able to give you a ballpark estimate.

They should also be carefully monitoring your progress and let you know whether you will need fewer or more treatments than was previously stated. The end goal of your chiropractor should be to help you. If your chiropractor can’t give you a ballpark estimate and isn’t monitoring your progress, they may be in it more for the money than to actually help you.

A good chiropractor should have no problem telling you about their treatment plan and roughly how long you can expect to be in treatment.

There is a caveat to this, though. That is whether or not the chiropractor gives you their estimate in person, after a consultation, or just over the phone as you were talking to them. If they give it to you over the phone without having evaluated your condition, this is a red flag. 

However, if they give you an estimate after having seen you and discussed your concerns with you, this is more of a green light.

Curious About More Questions To Ask Your Chiropractor?

These are but four of the essential questions to ask your chiropractor. If you’re looking for chiropractic care, Elite Chiropractic is here to help! If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our goal is to improve your life through quality chiropractic care that addresses your needs. If you’re not sure what questions to ask your chiropractor aside from these, we can help through attentive listening to understand.