Chronic Shoulder & Elbow Pain

Patients with Chronic Shoulder & Elbow Pain

Patient's Concerns

Patients suffering from chronic shoulder & elbow pain have difficulty lifting up their arms. It could be tough to change your clothes or reach for something above you because your arm doesn't feel good in an overhead position.

Some patients also find it difficult to scratch their back. It could be tough to swim or hold onto things with a firm grip because your arm is lacking in strength and flexibility.

Patient's Experience

Patients with chronic shoulder & elbow pain generally feel a sudden sharp pain trying to lift the arms up from their sides. Every patient experiences different symptoms, so it may be difficult to describe what you're feeling.

Some patients describe their elbow & shoulder pain as a dull ache. Often times chronic shoulder & elbow pain can be recurring, meaning it can go away for some time and then come back again in the future in cycles.

Chronic Shoulder & Elbow Pain Causes

Chronic pain is usually caused by prolonged stress on your nerves. Stress can come in many forms, and is typically dependant on your environment, lifestyle and habits.

For chronic shoulder & elbow pain, here are some common causes:

1. Repetitive physical labour
2. Trauma to the shoulder
3. Keyboard and mouse overuse
4. Racquet sports (tennis)
5. Lifting weights often
6. High risk professions (chef)

Chronic Shoulder & Elbow Pain Facts

Misconceptions about Chronic Shoulder & Elbow Pain

Most people think that chronic shoulder & elbow pain is caused by things like tight muscles, muscle aches, sore muscles, strained muscles or a "pulled" muscle.  This may be true for acute shoulder and elbow pain episodes, but these seldom last for more than 6 weeks.

Another mistake people make is to start exercising their arms in the hopes of strengthening "weak muscles". This can potentially lead to bigger problems because of excessive stress onto your arms and the surrounding tissues (bones, ligament & tendons).

Conditions Associated with Chronic Shoulder & Elbow Pain

1. Frozen shoulder pain
2. Tennis elbow pain
3. Rotator cuff pain

Solutions for Chronic Shoulder & Elbow Pain

Chronic Pain is a Nerve Problem

Traditionally, patients with elbow & shoulder pain address their chronic pain with quick fix solutions. These include applying heat, ice, stretching, massaging the painful area and pain medication.

However, because chronic pain is different from normal pain, these solutions only address the "tip of the iceberg". Chiropractic on the other hand addresses the "whole of the iceberg", allowing for natural chronic pain relief by addressing the patient's nerves.