Shoulder and Elbow Pain

What is Shoulder and Elbow Pain?

Shoulders and elbows are the most movable and utilized joints of the body. Hence, any pain in the shoulder or elbow can restrict your movements. As a result, you cannot perform routine activities properly. Mostly, the pain is due to overuse or wear and tear. Shoulder and elbow pain are common in both young and old athletes, as well as with people having physical jobs. If left untreated, shoulder or elbow pain can further result in back pain, neck pain, or some other issues like tingling and numbness.

Causes of Elbow Pain

Generally, overuse of elbow causes pain in the elbows. However, there can be various causes of elbow pain. The most common causes of pain in the elbows are:

  • Dislocations
  • Fractures
  • Sprains and strains
  • Compression of nerves
  • Ligament tears
  • Bursitis, tendinitis, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow
  • Arthritis, gout or osteoarthritis

Causes of Shoulder Pain

There can be various causes of pain in the shoulders. The most common causes of shoulder pain are:

  • Tear in cartilage
  • Tear in the rotator cuff
  • Swollen tendons
  • Dislocated shoulder
  • Frozen shoulder
  • Broken collarbone
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Repetitive use or overuse
  • Broken shoulder
  • Arthritis, avascular necrosis, tendinitis, osteoarthritis

Sometimes, injury to another body part, usually the neck, can also cause shoulder pain. This is called referred pain. Generally, it does not get worse when moving your shoulders.

Chiropractic Care for Shoulder and Elbow Pain

Not many people are aware that some adjustments to the spine or mid-back, can be helpful in fixing elbow conditions such as tennis elbow. The nerves enter as well as exit the spinal cord through joints between the spinal bones. Therefore, any dysfunction or misalignment of the spine can affect the nerve flow to various joints including the shoulders and the elbow. In addition, tendons, joints, and muscles are interconnected with the shoulder and arms from the spine. You will feel the relief from pain in shoulders and elbows just after one adjustment. However, multiple adjustments may be needed to completely fix the problem.