Chiropractor for Shoulder Pain in Perth

What shoulder pain feels like

Shoulder problems show up in different ways:

• Pain lifting your arm overhead or out to the side
• Pain hanging out the washing, or after a day on the mouse
• A deep ache at night, especially lying on that side
• Pain reaching behind your back
• Stiffness and loss of movement
• Pain across the top of the shoulder that links to the neck
• Clicking or catching with movement

Why it happens

Shoulder pain usually comes in two kinds.

The first is an injury: a fall, a bad technique in the pool, a gym exercise or a round of boxing that went wrong.

The second is far more common, especially as we get older. It's progressive. It builds slowly over years, and I see it again and again in people with a rounded upper back.

When the upper back rounds forward (called hyperkyphosis), it throws the shoulder joint forward with it. Then every time you raise your arm overhead, use the mouse or hang out the washing, the tendons rub and wear in a space that's become too tight. Over time, that wear can become impingement. Common contributors include:

• A rounded upper back and shoulders from years at a desk
• Long hours with a mouse or trackpad
• Irritated or worn rotator cuff tendons
• Stiffness in the upper back and neck
• Overhead sport or training: swimming, gym, tennis, boxing
• Frozen shoulder, which tends to come on gradually
• Pain referred from the neck

The different names shoulder pain goes by

You may have heard one of these from your GP or on a scan report. In plain words:

• Rotator cuff tendinopathy or tear: irritation or damage to the group of tendons that move and steady the shoulder. Often painful lifting the arm or lying on that side.
• Shoulder impingement (subacromial pain): pinching pain at the top or side of the shoulder when you raise your arm.
• Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis): the shoulder slowly gets painful and very stiff in every direction. This needs medical review.
• Bursitis: an irritated fluid sac at the top of the shoulder.
• AC joint pain: pain at the bony bump on top of the shoulder, often after a fall or from heavy lifting.
• Referred pain from the neck: shoulder pain that's actually coming from the neck or upper back.

The real cost: you

In one word, shoulder pain is debilitating.

Suddenly you're doing everything with your other hand. You can't dress yourself properly. Pouring the kettle is a struggle. Reaching out to open the car door makes you wince. Your arm feels heavy, like it's hanging by threads, and the constant ache wrecks your sleep.

You don't realise how much you rely on your shoulders until you can't use your preferred arm properly. And you realise it even more when you leave it too long, and the other shoulder starts to go too.

Don't wait. Don't normalise the pain, or the small losses of movement that can become permanent. Get your shoulder, and most probably your back, looked at. Live alive. Live you.

A note from Geoff

Here's what I've learned about shoulders: very often, the problem isn't in the shoulder at all. It's the rounded upper back underneath it.

I see a lot of older people who have had shoulder surgery and still have pain and stiffness afterwards. In my experience, often no one ever looked at the rounding of the upper back, and where that leaves the shoulder sitting.

That's also why stretches and exercises on their own often aren't enough. If the shoulder is still sitting forward on a rounded back, it's working in the same tight space. You have to change the position the shoulder works from.

I first noticed this working with boxers. Sometimes I don't even touch the shoulder. I work on the upper back and rib cage underneath it, and then we check how the shoulder moves. It's one of the parts of my work I enjoy most.

And I'll be honest with you. If I think I can help, I'll tell you. If it's purely a problem in the shoulder joint itself, I'll refer you to our massage therapists for deep soft tissue work, including dry needling with Michelle, or to your GP or a specialist. That's the Vitality Method: the right care for you, not treatment for the sake of it.

Try this right now

Stand tall and slowly raise both arms out in front of you and up overhead. Does one side catch, stop short, or pinch at the top? Now reach behind your back with each hand. Is one side harder?

A difference from side to side is a clue, and often it points back to the upper back.

How we assess shoulder pain

We take a full history, then test how your shoulder moves, its strength and stability. Because the neck and upper back often play a part, we check those too.

We screen for anything that needs a GP, imaging or a specialist, such as a significant tear or a frozen shoulder that needs medical review, and we'll refer you if that's the right step.

What your plan will include

Here's exactly what happens when you come to Vitality with shoulder pain:

• About an hour of detailed consultation and clinical assessment
• Digital X-rays if clinically required, bulk billed with a valid Medicare card
• Specific adjustments to assess whether change is possible for you
• If change is possible, and it's what you want, a care plan built around you and your lifestyle
• Specific shoulder, neck and upper back exercises
• Desk, mouse and sleeping position advice
• Daily tips to improve your posture and help manage stress and tension

My promise to you

Shoulder problems vary a lot, and some take months to settle. I won't promise a timeframe or a set number of visits.

What I do promise is a thorough investigation, an honest answer on whether we can help, and the right direction, whether that's with us or someone else. I won't adjust you or treat you just for the sake of it.