Too often, people are set in their ways when solving their pain problems. Most of the time, they will "hope it goes away", especially by doing nothing. When seeking out a professional, they go into the office and say they "know" what's wrong with them. Really? Then why bother to seek help in the first place if you know what's going on?
When you go into a mechanic's shop for a car repair, they plug in the little computer, scan everything, and say, "this, this, and this" all need to be replaced and fixed. Unfortunately, our bodies are not built like cars. We can't simply replace parts and then keep running along.
The body is a very complex system of systems. We have many things happening at once that influence one another. This is why solving pain in these scenarios is so difficult. Just because you have an achy shoulder doesn't mean the actual shoulder is the problem.
You may have had a past injury in the upper back that caused you to change how you move to accommodate for the pain. Over time, despite the pain residing, you may have used this new movement pattern as your new baseline, which places more stress on the tendons in the shoulder. You can strengthen and stretch the shoulder all you want, but the pain still exists because the underlying mechanics from the upper back were never addressed. The shoulder pain was just a result of something else.
Another example possibility could be from something unrelated, like a tooth infection that causes the jaw to swell up, thus restricting the TMJ and forcing the neck muscles to tense for protection and movement restriction. As a result, the shoulder will be pulled on via the neck and be placed in a vulnerable position for movement. Even the change in position can be the result of pain. All because of something not related to the shoulder.
Lastly, a baseball pitcher could tear their labrum throwing a ball due to mechanics starting at the opposite foot. Say they break a bone in the foot of their lead leg. As they land, the mechanics could change how they twist the leg and torso up to the arm. With a change or restriction in rotation, the shoulder will try and make up for lost motions at high speeds to achieve the pitch. The shoulder may get repaired, but they still get pain afterward and can't pitch the same, all because the foot issue was not addressed.
None of that sounds like an easy fix to why a shoulder can hurt.
Imagine what happens elsewhere in the body?
Luckily for you, Dynamic Performance can be your body mechanic to help solve your pain problems and diagnose where your pain is coming from, and provide real solutions.
Click below to schedule an appointment with us.