Category: Shoulder Pain

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Best Frozen Shoulder Treatment in Meriden Without Surgery

Have you been diagnosed with frozen shoulder / adhesive capsulitis? What are your frozen shoulder treatment options?

  • Pain with any shoulder movement?
  • Pain gets worse at night?
  • Very limited shoulder movement?
  • Moving your shoulder has become more difficult over time?
  • Trouble getting through your daily activities?

Three Stages of a Frozen Shoulder

Freezing Stage – Your shoulder has become painful and your pain is getting worse as your ability to move and use your shoulder decreases. This can happen slowly over several weeks or months, or rapidly, even overnight.

Frozen Stage – You can hardly move your shoulder at all. Your pain may have gotten better in this stage but movement causes the pain to roar back into your restricted shoulder. Daily activities may be excruciating. This can last for weeks or years, or may spontaneously resolve.

Thawing Stage – Your range of motion starts to come back. This may take years if left untreated. Pain is diminishing as your shoulder regains normal motion.

Woman holding her shoulder in pain in a blog about frozen shoulder by Dr. Erik Reich a chiropractor in Meriden, CT
Frozen shoulder can be debilitating and may not resolve without skilled treatment. Dr. Erik Reich has been successfully treating people with frozen shoulder for years.

What Causes Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder can be caused by trauma or repetitive stress injury. However, many times what causes the shoulder to lock is unknown. People between the ages of 40-60 are prone to this condition. Also, women and patients previously diagnosed with diabetes tend to experience more cases of frozen shoulder than the rest of the population. Therefore, it is important for you to see a health care provider such as a chiropractor who can take a history and perform a detailed examination of the shoulder to determine if the diagnosis of frozen shoulder is warranted. Furthermore, other tests such as x-rays, MRI, or ultrasound may be ordered. This is to rule out other causes of a painful and restricted shoulder. Conditions such as tendonitis, rotator cuff injury, or shoulder bursitis can be causing your pain and mimic frozen shoulder.

Treatment Without Surgery

People suffering with frozen shoulder respond incredibly well to gentle chiropractic care, which includes interventions such as stretching, guided exercises, and of course the chiropractic adjustment!

Typically, following a detailed history taking and physical examination, including review of any past imaging or special tests, a treatment plan is detailed between the doctor and yourself. To address frozen shoulder this typically begins with passive care such as heat and adjustments to relax the tissues, and progresses to active care including exercise, active stretching, lifestyle modification (ergonomic changes at work and home, smoking cessation, stress management, etc.) and education.

These treatments are very well tolerated by most people. There are a few side effects (most common is local soreness following exercise, stretching, or the adjustment) and typically frozen shoulder improves or is eliminated in one to six visits depending on the severity.

If you are suffering from frozen shoulder and searching for a chiropractor, you can see our Google reviews, and call or text the number below:

Call or Text ‪(203) 443-1901 ‬to schedule!

About the Author

photo of Dr. Erik Reich with his son on his shoulders
Dr. Erik Reich, Meriden chiropractor, and his son.

Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc.  located at 303 South Broad Street. Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, victims of trauma such as auto accidents, and desk jockeys. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.

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Pain Between The Shoulder Blades

Do you experience pain between your shoulder blades? This type of pain can be a dull ache, burning between the shoulder blades, or it can feel like a hot poker is being thrust up under scapula. Pain between the shoulder blades is called inter-scapular pain. In fact, the scapula, or shoulder blade, is a common site of discomfort and pain. Also, this type of pain can have different causes ranging from mildly concerning to very serious.

A man being examined by a clinician, maybe a chiropractor, for shoulder pain.
Pain between the shoulder blades is a common symptom of muscle strain, poor posture or ergonomics at work, trauma such as a motor vehicle accident, and other underlying causes. Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden who treats musculoskeletal conditions including pain between the shoulder blades.

Why Do I Have Pain Between the Shoulder Blades?

Some common conditions which can cause this type of pain are listed below:

  • Muscle Strain
  • Trauma
  • Herniated Discs
  • Arthritis
  • Overuse Injuries
  • Lack of Use
  • Nerve Entrapment
  • Acid Reflux
  • Scoliosis
  • Referred Pain

There are also more serious causes of pain between the shoulder blades such as:

  • Gallbladder Disease
  • Heart Attack
  • Thoracic Vertebra Compression Fracture
  • Shingles

In most cases this type of pain is easily identifiable by an experienced clinician. If you have shoulder blade pain which is persistent and has not responded to rest, a couple of days time, and maybe some hot or cold packs, it is probably a good idea to see a doctor and have your symptoms evaluated.

Furthermore, if you are experiencing shortness of breath, chest pain, or feeling lightheaded, and you suspect the cause of your pain to be serious or life threatening, don’t wait to call 911 and get urgent medical care. Trust your gut.

Can a Chiropractor Help My Shoulder Pain?

Many of the most common underlying causes of shoulder blade pain arise from the soft tissues. For instance, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, as well as nerves, bursa, and fascia can all contribute to shoulder pain. Therefore, because chiropractors are specially trained to treat soft tissue and joint dysfunction, a chiropractor may be an excellent choice of provider to evaluate and treat your shoulder pain.

In conclusion, it depends. However, a skilled clinician such as a chiropractic physician, who takes a thorough history and then performs an exam to rule out more serious causes of your pain, should be well suited to address the most common types of inter-scapular pain. Furthermore, the right doctor will make any appropriate referral if necessary. Such as for advanced imaging, special tests, or specialist provider.

A picture of a woman lying down prone being examined and treated by a chiropractor.
Chiropractic treatment for pain between the shoulder blades is gentle, non-invasive, and drug-free.

What is the Best Treatment?

Depending on what the underlying issue is, different treatments may be recommended.

First, patient education is vitally important in all cases. Because, patients who are well-informed make better decisions, experience less anxiety, and less apprehension about their symptoms.

For example, if the underlying cause of your pain is determined to be repetitive overuse such as from poor ergonomics at your job, the treatment may include activity and work station modifications and lifestyle advice to reduce stress on the involved areas.

By contrast, if your pain started following a slip or fall and you landed hard on your shoulder, first aid type treatment may include icing or applying heat to the area. Then, protecting the shoulder for the first couple of days, progressing to gentle mobilizations to the spine or scapula. Lastly, light exercise to increase blood flow to the involved tissues.

Next, as pain levels are reduced, patients are typically involved in more active treatments such as dynamic stretching and loaded exercises. Exercise improves blood flow to the muscles and other tissues, and improves and restores mobility and strength.

Seek Help for Shoulder Pain

If you or a loved on is experiencing shoulder pain or pain in the middle back between the shoulder blades, don’t neglect what your body is trying to tell you. Call for a professional to evaluate and diagnose what is causing your symptoms.

You may already know what the cause is in the case of recent trauma. But, you may also have no idea if the pain began without incident, “Doc, i just woke up in pain.” is something many patients tell me. So, whether you have a good idea why it hurts, or no idea at all, getting an evaluation and a working diagnosis is a good idea.

Also, getting an evaluation is an absolute imperative if you believe your pain is severe with red flags such as chest pain or shortness of breath. But most cases of shoulder pain are due to soft tissue injury or dysfunction, and can be treated conservatively without drugs or surgery.

About Dr. Erik Reich

photo of Dr. Erik Reich with his son on his shoulders
Dr. Erik Reich with his son.

Dr. Erik Reich is a Chiropractic Physician in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. . Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, and desk jockeys with shoulder pain. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.