Like anything that has its own terminology shoulder pain is confusing until someone can break it down. The interesting thing is that almost all of those above can be caused from similar issues.  Let me explain. Bursitis is inflammation of the bursa. Yes you can get a steroid shot to put out the inflammation and the pain. But, you did not figure out the cause of the friction or correct the cause – so it could come back again. The shot is helpful to put the fire out, but be mindful if the bursitis was caused from tight muscles or a tight joint creating the friction and irritation of the bursa it can return. In fact, bursitis can be from several reasons: tightness in certain areas (usually chest, shoulders, and thoracic spine) AND from the rotator cuff not doing its fair share of the work load. We have to teach the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles to work together again. And many times without meaning to, people will use their neck muscles to compensate for the rotator cuff. Sometimes during exercises they found on YouTube or Google. This will usually lead to more shoulder pain. Don’t get me wrong I use YouTube all the time for do it yourself projects but sometimes consulting a professional is worth it. Remember Last Week? If you read last week’s write up about Bill you will recall that he had tightness in his chest, shoulders, and upper back. These changed the position of the shoulder and limited space… Read More

Pain is interesting. It doesn’t always tell us what caused the pain. And to make if even more complicated the onset of pain can be delayed by several days and even weeks from the initial injury.  This can be super frustrating to figure out what is wrong, how to fix it, and how to prevent it from happening again.Let me try to tell a common story about shoulder pain that seems to come from nowhere. We will call him Bill. Bill noticed a slight ache in the top side of his shoulder that steadily increased over the last few weeks.  He didn’t recall doing anything that caused the pain. We chatted a little more and I asked about any arm activities in the last 2 months.  He did say several weeks prior he had done a little more yard work that required some overhead activity.  He said it was fatiguing but didn’t notice any pain.  This is a common history with shoulders. We do something a little more strenuous overhead that we don’t do on a regular basis and then a few days to a few weeks later we notice an ache that gets worse. What causes the ache? Why does this happen? Let me try to explain it. The shoulder is a very mobile joint and it has approximately 18 muscles that influence the shoulder and shoulder blade.  The shoulder joint has four key muscles that provide key shoulder stability at shoulder height and above called your rotator cuff.    Unfortunately the design of the… Read More

Let’s talk about headaches. Ranging from a mid-afternoon head pounding ache, to an agonizing pain. Headaches are something most, if not all of us, have experienced at some point in our life. For some, headaches are a bigger problem and can even affect everyday life. But did you know shoulder tension is often the culprit? Lauren who is a patient of mine, wrote in an email to me before she came to see us: “Hi Jennifer, I’m 56 and have been suffering from migraines ever since I was a teenager and I’ve never been able to get to the root of the problem. Usually in the past I put my migraines down to stress or a lack of sleep. Then I thought it might be something that I’m eating instead. The thing is, I took away all of the foods that are said to set off headaches like cheese and chocolate…but nothing really changed. I don’t know if this is true, but I heard once that shoulder tension can sometimes bring headaches on? I thought you’d be the best person to ask. Is this right or am I being silly? I’m tired of getting migraines when I least expect them! It’s awful when they strike in the middle of shopping.” – Lauren, 56, Olympia, WA It’s Likely Your Shoulders and Neck Lauren certainly was right about shoulder tension being related to this common problem! And I can imagine you would have found it hard to believe me if I told you that 87% of headaches… Read More

Let’s talk about one of the most common causes of shoulder pain – sleeping! Not just sleeping, but the way we sleep (and even what we do before we sleep). Have you ever woken up in the morning with a stiff and slightly painful shoulder? Often it’s just an annoying ache that eases off shortly after you’ve got out of bed, but after days of waking up feeling like this, it can become a lot more painful. It can actually be something with your neck or vice versa! It’s something that we don’t usually think about, but one of the most important things to consider is the effect that sleeping can have upon our neck and shoulders. Let me explain: An increase in shoulder or neck pain is a common problem that many people experience as a direct result of resting for 8 hours or more in an awkward position, either an old mattress or on the wrong types of pillows. Why? Because having your neck twisted or bent in a funny position for long periods of time isn’t good for the body. After a while your body becomes so used to being in a certain position when you go to sleep (the position you’ve been sleeping in for most of your life!) – night after night, so no wonder the shoulder becomes painful. But it’s not only down to the way we sleep… A Common Nighttime Culprit Another thing I see a lot of people do before they turn in for the night is… Read More

Have you ever had a slight pain from your shoulder to your neck but didn’t really think it was a big deal, especially if you knew it was because you slept awkwardly? Yes? I thought so. I hear this quite often from my clients when they first come in to see us – they’ll mention the annoying pain that’s going on in their shoulder or base of their neck. 9 times out of 10, they think it’s something that will “just go away” on its own. But here’s the thing – it doesn’t always “just go away”! Think of your shoulders like this: Your neck sits on your shoulders and supports one of the most vital parts of your body – the skull and the brain. There are muscles in your shoulders that go up along your neck and can be related to pain. Now ask yourself this – do you still want to brush off that neck pain you’ve woken up with this morning? I thought not. Has This Ever Happened To You? Some of the main reasons as to why we shouldn’t brush off shoulder or neck pain is because we all have ways in which we make it worse. We don’t mean to, but sometimes our lifestyle gets in the way! Have you had your hair done recently? It can often be an enjoyable experience, but have you ever considered how your muscles feel? When you’re getting your hair washed in the basin, do you make sure the chair and basin are… Read More