Find the Source of Your Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain has a way of following you around. It shows up when you reach for a seatbelt, wash your hair, carry groceries, or roll onto your side at night. If it has been hanging around for weeks, you do not have to keep working around it.
At Pine Bush Health & Chiropractic in Walden, NY, Dr. Michael Raucci helps patients from Walden, Montgomery, and nearby communities find the real source of their pain. As a chiropractor for shoulder pain, he looks at the whole picture: the shoulder joint, the rotator cuff tendons, the neck, and the upper back. Your care plan then matches what is actually going on.
Patients come to see us for rotator cuff pain, shoulder impingement, overuse injuries from work or sport, and shoulder pain that started for no clear reason. Many tell us they wish they had seen a chiropractor for shoulder pain months earlier.
Are You Dealing With Shoulder Pain?
Press play for a quick look at how shoulder injuries form, then keep reading to see what may be behind your pain.
What Is Rotator Cuff Pain? Understanding Shoulder Anatomy
Four muscles and their tendons hold the ball of your shoulder in a shallow socket while the larger muscles do the lifting.
That group of four muscles is the rotator cuff. When its tendons become irritated or damaged, everyday movements like reaching, lifting, and throwing start to hurt. Rotator cuff problems are among the most common reasons people look for shoulder pain relief.
Partial tear
One side of the tendon is frayed but still attached.
Full-thickness tear
A hole or slit runs through the tendon, much like a cut lengthwise down a rope.
Rupture
The tendon has torn into two pieces. This is the most severe injury and may call for a surgical opinion.
Plenty of people with rotator cuff pain have an irritated tendon or a small partial tear rather than a rupture, which is why an accurate exam comes before any treatment.
Shoulder Impingement and Other Causes of Rotator Cuff Pain
Most shoulder problems build slowly from repeated strain, not from one dramatic injury.
Shoulder impingement is one of the most common culprits. The space the rotator cuff tendon travels through becomes crowded, so the tendon gets pinched every time you raise your arm. Over time, that pinching irritates the tendon and can lead to a tear.
Who is most at risk?
Repeated overhead activity raises your risk. That includes baseball, volleyball, tennis, rowing, swimming, archery, and weight lifting (see our care for sports injuries), along with carpentry, painting, wallpapering, and window cleaning. Smoking, excess weight, high cholesterol, and a past cortisone injection also add to the risk.
A rounded upper back and a stiff neck can change how the shoulder blade moves, too. That is one reason we check more than the shoulder itself. If overhead work is part of your week, see a chiropractor for shoulder pain before a small problem turns into a tear.
Rotator Cuff Pain Symptoms: What Shoulder Pain Feels Like
Sudden injuries can bring a tearing or snapping feeling. Most others creep in quietly.
Pain from a rotator cuff injury is usually felt at the front and outside of the shoulder, and it can travel down the arm. It tends to flare with overhead activity and can eventually make it hard to lift your arm at all.
Shoulder pain at night
Night pain is a classic sign. Lying on the sore shoulder often makes it worse, and many people wake up several times a night.
Sudden injury
An acute tear often comes with a tearing or snapping sensation, followed by sharp pain and weakness.
Slow build
A chronic strain starts silently, and symptoms become more obvious as the tear progresses. Pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks is a good reason to book with a chiropractor for shoulder pain.
What to Expect When You See a Chiropractor for Shoulder Pain
A Thorough Exam
Hands-On Treatment
Rehab and Prevention
How to Relieve Rotator Cuff Pain at Night and During the Day
Small changes take pressure off an irritated shoulder while it heals.
Adjust your sleep position
Avoid lying on the sore side, especially with your arm stretched overhead. Sleeping on your other side with a pillow between your arm and your trunk can ease the strain.
Ease off overhead work
Skip painful overhead activity and heavy carrying until the shoulder settles down.
Support your recovery
Smokers tend to recover better if they quit, and patients carrying extra weight often heal faster with a diet and exercise program. Above all, do your home exercises as prescribed.
Home care helps, but it does not replace an exam. A chiropractor for shoulder pain can tell you which of these steps fit your shoulder.
Shoulder Pain Chiropractor FAQs
They can. Irritated joints and nerves in the neck can send pain into the shoulder and arm, so Dr. Raucci checks your neck and upper back along with the shoulder.
It varies. Mild cases often settle within a few weeks of consistent care, while long-standing problems can take a few months. Starting early usually shortens recovery.
Call 911 or go to the emergency room if shoulder pain comes with chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, or follows a serious fall or accident. Tell us about significant neck pain, numbness, or sudden weakness as well.
No. Your exam comes first. If the findings suggest a tear or another structural problem, we will recommend imaging.
Yes. Pine Bush Health & Chiropractic is in Walden, NY and welcomes patients from Montgomery and surrounding towns. Call 845-744-8050 or book online.
