At Foundation Chiropractic and Sports Therapy we see A LOT of shoulder pain. The number one thing I do for when a patient tells me that they have new or old shoulder pain is rule out THE NECK as the source of their pain! 

Many people have come to me after suffering from shoulder pain for months to years and have spent piles of money on a variety of interventions looking for relief. The frustrating part for the patient and practitioner is that several of these treatments are amazing for reducing shoulder pain (ex, shockwave, PRP/Prolo-therapy injection, active release techniques, chiropractic manipulation).

But there’s just one MAJOR problem!

Their pain was originating from a problem in their neck and not in their shoulder! 

Here is why your neck could be causing your shoulder pain. Your neck contains the spinal cord and a bunch of nerves that come out the side. These nerves work to control your shoulders and arms. Even if you don’t have any neck pain, those nerves can become irritated from a variety of causes (ex. poor posture at work, repetitive neck motions, or fatigue) and cause pain in your neck, SHOULDER, elbow or hand!

Luckily for you! Ruling out the neck as the cause of shoulder pain is not hard and can usually be done with a few simple physical tests and often doesn’t require advanced imaging (MRI or CT scan).

Here are a couple of signs that your shoulder pain may be coming from your neck:

• You currently have neck pain as well as shoulder pain
• Your shoulder pain worsens when your neck is sore 
• You experience pain in your shoulder that also radiates down your arm
• You also experience pain on the inside part of your shoulder blade (often described by chiropractors as a “rib out”).
• You have pins and needles, numbness, ‘electric’ or ‘burning’ types of pain in your shoulder

If you have any of these sensations don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment and get evaluated today. The quicker we address these issues the quicker we can get you back to living a pain free life!