Your shoulder is the most unstable and moveable joint in your body. Its wide range of motion occurs due to four primary muscles and their tendons, called the rotator cuff. If your shoulder becomes inflamed or an impingement happens, you may make the mistake of trying to avoid using your arm to help it heal. It may surprise you that not moving can contribute to more pain or even lead to a frozen shoulder. Controlled movement is one of the best ways to heal.
The tendons are the most common source of shoulder pain. Your tendons attach the muscles of the shoulder to the bones. If a tendon becomes trapped, it can result in shoulder impingement. If a tendon becomes inflamed, you may hear it called tendinitis or bursitis. And if a tendon becomes torn, you guessed it; you have a rotator cuff tear.
Shoulder Bursitis: If the sac of fluid that cushions your shoulder becomes swollen and painful due to repetitive motions, you may have bursitis.
Shoulder Impingement: If your tendons get pinched between or under the bones of your shoulder, it can lead to impingement. Lifting overhead repetitively can cause impingement, resulting in swelling and pain.
Rotator Cuff Tear: Your rotator cuff can become damaged due to overuse, injury, or age. Tears usually cause pain when you try to lift things, and you may hear a popping sound as you move.
What’s the difference between your hip and SI joint
It can be extremely confusing to figure out the difference between hip and SI (sacroiliac) joint pain. But being able to identify which one is the culprit is crucial when you are looking to find relief. Your SI joint connects your tailbone (sacrum) and your pelvis. The SI joint is very fibrous and only moves a few millimeters. On the other hand, your hip is much less stable and allows your entire leg to move in every plane of motion.
While the hip and SI joints are very different in structure and function, they share similar pain patterns, making it difficult to tell one from the other. It’s common to have SI joint pain mimic low back pain. Bending backward usually aggravates SI joint pain due to the compression that happens in the joint as you move. Hip pain is more likely to occur when you walk or try to bring your knees to your chest.
Hip Pain: characterized by pain with walking, weight-bearing, and rotating the leg
SI Joint Pain: characterized by difficulties while standing, walking, climbing stairs, and getting out of the car.
Low Back Pain: characterized by pain that radiates into the buttock or leg and may travel down to the foot
Are You At Risk for Chronic Knee Pain?
Knees hurt? You’re not alone. Chronic knee pain is thought to affect up to 25% of adults and can significantly limit your mobility and quality of life. Your knee is a hinge joint that primarily moves back and forth (flexion and extension) and allows some twisting or rotation. Every step you take places stress and strain on your knees, so it’s no surprise that trauma, misalignment, and degenerative changes can all take their toll.
While knee pain may not be entirely preventable, there are steps you can take to keep your knees as healthy as possible. At the top of the list is to watch your weight. For every pound you are overweight, your knees must absorb an extra 4 pounds of pressure when you walk, run or climb stairs. In addition, the cartilage in your knee is designed to last a lifetime if you take care of it. Here are a few additional ways to keep your knees healthy and strong.
Warm-Up Before Exercising: Stretching your quadriceps and hamstrings before and after you exercise is a smart way to reduce the chance of a flare-up of knee pain
Find Adequate Foot Support: Every step you take transfers force from the bottom of your foot to your knee. Therefore, your shoes should provide the support you need to keep your knees healthy for at least 10,000 steps per day.
Maintain a Full Range of Motion: Ensuring your low back and hips are moving freely is essential to overall knee health.
Tennis Elbow? But I don’t even play tennis!
Meta-description: Tennis elbow isn’t just for athletes. Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is a painful condition that occurs when the tendons in your elbow are inflamed and overloaded due to repetitive motion.
Tennis elbow isn’t just for athletes. Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is a painful condition that occurs when the tendons in your elbow are inflamed and overloaded due to repetitive motion. Because of the motion that occurs when swinging a racket, it’s commonly referred to as tennis elbow, but anyone who has a job that features repetitive arm motions may be at risk.
Tennis elbow can become a serious issue because of the pain and weakness that make it difficult to perform your daily tasks. Because it’s an injury caused by repetitive motion, finding ways to decrease the inflammation and improve your biomechanics is critical. Three natural ways to help reduce the pain associated with tennis elbow include:
Rest: Giving your arm time to rest is important to stop the cascade of inflammation and pain
Ice: Icing, a few times per hour, is a smart strategy to reduce pain and inflammation
Technique: Be mindful of how you are moving your arm, use proper ergonomics, and use a brace for a short time if necessary
Next Steps:
Tennis elbow is usually not a condition that will go away on its own. However, we’ve found two key strategies for reducing the pain associated with tennis below. The first is to begin an at-home exercise routine to strengthen your supporting muscles. The second is receiving adjustments, when necessary, to improve the motion and movement of your elbow joints. If you or someone you know has struggled with tennis elbow, give us a call so that we can provide you with a plan to find relief.
Science Source:
Immediate Effects of Spinal Manipulation on Shoulder Motion Range and Pain in Individuals With Shoulder Pain: A Randomized Trial. J Chiropr Med 2019
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction. Spine-Health 2021
Chronic Knee Pain. Healthline. 2021
Tennis Elbow. Orthoinfo by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. 2021