The Shoulder
The shoulder joint is one of the more mobile joints in the entire body. Being a ball-and-socket joint it is able to exercise a vast range of motion which is critical for all of the activities in which our shoulders play a role. It also is one of the more unstable joints in the body, being held in place by a small group of muscles (the rotator cuff) and not having any direct bony attachments to the skeleton. This complicated mix of factors leads to a number of potential problems and injuries, making the shoulder one of the most common areas of complaint that I see in the clinic. To understand the shoulder we need to know that it is composed of two parts that are similar to a ball on a tee. The ball is your humerus (upper arm bone) and the tee is the scapula (shoulder blade). The two need to move well both on their own and together in order to have full function and control of this incredibly versatile joint.
The first thing we need to consider when assessing your shoulder complaint is the involvement of the cervical spine (the neck). A large proportion of shoulder aches and pains can be attributed to poor movement of the joints in the neck. As much as 47.6% of shoulder complaints can be attributed to issues originating in the cervical spine (Rosedale et al 2019). This can be uncovered though a good examination and is often treatable with some specific exercise for the joints of the neck and some targeted hands-on therapy.
Once we have ruled out involvement of the neck in your shoulder complaint we can break down issues of the shoulder into one of two categories; an issue with the ball moving on the tee, or an issue with the tee moving to support the ball.
In the case of the ball moving on the tee, it is important that the arm bone can freely roll and glide to be able to achieve all of the potential range of motion from the shoulder. Often times the muscles around the shoulder will get tense and restrict how much the ball can roll around on the tee, limiting how much movement you can have in your shoulder and sometimes causing pain. This is often the case when dealing with the common impingement syndrome. Through some specific exercise and soft tissue therapy we can reduce the tension around the shoulder and improve the ability of the arm bone to freely move on the tee. This will help to relieve symptoms you may be having and increase your range of motion.
In regards to the tee moving to support the ball, it is important to have proper movement of the shoulder blade to stabilize the ball as it rolls and glides to all of the positions where we use our arms, especially positions when we are reaching or holding things above our head. If the shoulder blade cannot move adequately to support the arm bone then the joint becomes unstable, muscles around the shoulder are forced to work too hard, and range of motion becomes limited. This is often the case when we have rotator cuff strains or tears of the shoulder labrum. Targeted exercises and stability drills can dramatically increase the ability of the shoulder blade to move into the right positions and can often result in big changes to shoulder range of motion in rapid order.
If you are experiencing some restricted range of motion in your shoulder, aches, pains, weakness or discomfort, it is important to have your shoulder evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional such as a chiropractor, athletic therapist or physiotherapist. With the right combination of rehabilitative exercise and hands-on therapy we can help you return your shoulder to peak condition and reduce the risk of future injury.
If you have questions about a shoulder complaint or would like some advice on whether or not you should have your shoulder assessed by our team of healthcare professionals, call us today 705-733-0141 or book a consultation online now and we will help you get started.