Unfortunately, therapy doesn’t always work for shoulder pain, well… it does, but you may need do something different to get 100% better.
The Problem
What is really infuriating is when patients come in saying they have been seeing a chiorpractor or physio for their shoulder pain for the last 12 MONTHS and haven’t noticed any improvements. There are times when this is not the therapists fault but in my experience this happens when therapists treat patients like a commodity/ source of income instead of a human being.
The Solution
The evidence based approach to any shoulder condition goes like this;
- Therapy for 1 month
- No improvement – get scans (CT, ultrasound, MRI) and anti-inflammatory medication from your GP
- If therapy and anti inflams dont work you need a cortisone injection.
- If the cortisone injection didn’t work, you need a surgical consult.
Therapy for shoulder injuries can be complex. There may be trauma to tendons, muscles, joints, ligaments or fascia, or a combination of these. In general,
- Chiropractic therapy typically targets joints and ligaments
- Physiotherapy targets muscles and tendons
- Massage targets muscles and fascia
- Acupuncture helps to decrease the pain coming from the area.
Everyone reacts differently to therapy. Some people just need Chiropractic, others physio. In general, most people respond really well to a combination of therapies. It is vital that there is effective communication between your therapists.
Unfortunately, there are therapists out there who will treat you like a commodity. Refusing to do the right thing and refer you on for a different therapy because it will effect their income.
If you are not improving after 4 weeks, you need to do something different.
There are a few reasons as to why we develop shoulder pain. If you are interested click here to watch a video I made about it.
If you have shoulder pain and would like a second opinion about your therapy, or would like to start getting therapy please contact us to make an appointment.
