Types and Osteopathic treatment of shoulder pain

Shoulder pain is commonly treated by Osteopaths. It can be caused by a number of factors including acute injuries resulting from a sporting activity or, more chronically, by habitual postural changes resulting from spending long hours working at a badly set-up workstation or sitting slouched on the sofa watching TV. In some cases, shoulder pain can result from compression of nerves as they exit the neck. Frozen shoulder (also known as ‘adhesive capsulitis’) is also a fairly common debilitating and painful condition affecting the capsule of the shoulder joint. It can often be misdiagnosed as a rotator cuff injury (or vice versa). The condition can take over 12 months to resolve so it is important to seek advice early and not ignore it.

Once diagnosed, osteopathic treatment of shoulder pain usually focuses on reducing the pain and inflammation, improving the range of movement of the joint and, perhaps more importantly and as appropriate, addressing the patient’s posture to prevent the symptoms reoccurring. Re-education would involve discussing workstation set-up, use of laptops and, once full range of motion is restored, prescribing exercises which strengthen the muscles between the shoulder blade and stretch out the pectoral muscles on the front of the chest. It is important to look not only at the shoulder, but also at the neck, upper back and thorax.

For more information, click on the bolded words to read my blog article on shoulder pain or the article on frozen shoulders

Katie’s testimonial giving an example of Fiona’s treatment of her shoulder problem (click here for more testimonials):

“Problems with my left shoulder started during my textiles degree, and over time led to discomfort that began to interfere with my day-to-day life. Fiona really listened to the exact kind of pain I was experiencing, asking lots of questions and spending time investigating my range of movement before we started. The combination of massage, acupuncture and manipulation has been really successful for me and I’m confident that my sessions with her are continuing to improve this long standing problem.”