What Causes Your Shoulder to Hurt
in Vacaville

Our shoulders can do a wide range of motion. Once there's something wrong with it, your ability to move freely will now be limited due to the pain and discomfort.

The shoulder consists of a ball-and-socket joint that has 3 main bones: the clavicle, scapula, and humerus. These bones are surrounded by a layer of cartilage and have 2 main joints:

• The acromioclavicular joint - It is located between the highest point of the scapula and clavicle.
• The glenohumeral joint - It is made up of the outer edge of the scapula and the top, ball-shaped part of the humerus bone.

Of all the joints in the body, the shoulder joint is known to be the most mobile one. It can move the shoulders forward and backward. You can even move your arms in a circular motion and move up and away from the body. The rotator cuffs make it possible for the shoulder's range of motion.

The rotator cuff consists of 4 tendons. These tendons are tissues that connect the muscles to the bone. Once the tendons or bones around the rotator cuff gets damaged, you will feel some pain when you're lifting your arm over your head.

Your shoulders are prone to injury when you're playing sports, doing manual labor, or even by repetitive movement. There are also certain diseases that can deliver pain to your shoulder. These include diseases of the cervical spine, as well as heart, liver, or gallbladder disease.

As you grow older, your shoulders are likely to have more problems, especially after the age of 60. This is due to the degeneration of the soft tissues surrounding your shoulders as you age.

Shoulder pain can be treated at home but there are instances where medications, physical therapy, or surgery may be needed. Contact your Vacaville Chiropractors if you are experiencing shoulder pain.

Causes of shoulder pain in Vacaville

There are factors and conditions that can cause shoulder pain. The most prevalent one is rotator cuff tendinitis.

Rotator cuff tendinitis is characterized by swollen tendons. Impingement syndrome is another common cause of shoulder pain wherein the rotator cuff is stuck between the acromium and humeral head.

Shoulder pain can also be caused by another injury in the body such as those in the neck and biceps. This is called referenced pain and it won't get any worse just as long as you move your shoulder.

Here are some other causes of shoulder pain:

• Arthritis
• Bone spurs
• Dislocated shoulder
• Heart attack
• Torn cartilage
• Frozen shoulder
• Torn rotator cuff
• Spinal cord injury
• Broken arm or shoulder bone
• Swollen tendons or bursa sacs
• Injury due to overuse or repetitive use
• Pinched nerve in the neck or shoulder

How is the shoulder pain cause diagnosed?

Your doctor will try finding the root cause of your shoulder pain. They'll do a physical examination and request your medical history.

They'll feel for any signs of swelling or tenderness and will even assess the stability of your joint and range of motion. To help with the diagnosis, imaging tests like an MRI or X-ray can be used to produce more details about the condition of your shoulder.

Your doctor may even ask some questions to further determine the cause. These questions are as follows:

• Does the pain occur on one shoulder or both?
• Can you pinpoint the exact location of the pain?
• Does the pain move to other areas of your body?
• Did the pain happen suddenly? If so, what were you doing?
• Does it hurt when you're not moving?
• Is it a dull ache or a sharp pain?
• Does it hurt more when doing a certain movement?
• Does the pain keep you up at night?
• Has the area of pain been hot, red, or swollen?
• What are the things that makes the pain better or worse?
• Did the pain limit your normal activities?

When to seek medical help

Make sure to contact your doctor once you experience fever, inability to move shoulders, lasting heat, bruising and tenderness around the joint, or pain that lasts a few weeks even with home treatment.

If your shoulder occurred immediately and not due to an injury, dial 911 right away because it could be signs of a heart attack. Some other signs of a heart attack include:

• Dizziness
• Chest tightness
• Difficulty in breathing
• Excessive sweating
• Pain in the jaw or neck

When your shoulder is showing signs of bleeding, swollen, or there's an exposed tissue, go to an emergency room right away.

What are the treatment options for shoulder pain?

Chiropractors focus not just on the shoulder but also on improving your overall health. This is an integrated approach that could help determine the ideal treatment for your shoulder pain. Your chiropractor will also ask a series of questions that could help pinpoint the cause for the pain as well as the recommended treatment.

Apart from chiropractic care, chiropractors may even recommend other methods of treatment that could further provide shoulder pain relief. These may include a massage, traction, ice packs, or strengthening and stretching exercises.

To help you out, you can get in touch with one of the finest chiropractors in the Solano county, Dr. Alex Tam. He can offer you the services mentioned, and you will surely experience relief from your shoulder pain in no time.