416 Ilam Road, Fendalton, Christchurch 8052
Clinic Hours: Monday - Friday 7am - 8pm
Clinic Hours: Monday-Friday 7am-8pm
Published by Better Health Osteopathy on 26 August 2021, Shoulder Pain
Our Osteopaths are highly trained in treating patients with shoulder injuries. During treatment, we focus on treating the root cause of pain.
Therefore, we will rarely only concentrate on your shoulder; we will examine your entire spine, including the neck, upper back, and pelvis, where we may often find additional structures contributing to your injury.
Shoulder injuries are frequently caused by sporting activities that involve excessive, repetitive, overhead motion, such as swimming, tennis, and weightlifting. Injuries can also occur during everyday activities such as reaching for shopping in the car, carrying your baby, hanging out clothes, and gardening.
An osteopath will consider all of the above causes of shoulder pain during the initial consultation. An osteopath will examine the shoulder and the entire spine and peripheral joints to figure out the root cause of your shoulder pain, which sometimes may not come directly from the shoulder itself; it can be due to dysfunction from the ribs thoracic spine, and neck. This approach is essential for patients where their shoulder pain has not healed or responded to other treatments.
In cases where acute trauma (tear to a muscle, ligament, or fracture) is suspected, we can refer a patient for a scan of the shoulder (MRI, Ultrasound, X-Ray). If surgery is required, our Osteopaths will refer you to an Orthopaedic specialist. You do not need to see your GP for this referral. We have an excellent network of Surgeons and Musculoskeletal specialists to whom we refer to.
As with any injury, early diagnosis and treatment are important, and treatment options will vary for each individual. Osteopathy involves taking a whole-body approach to healing, including examining the shoulder and the entire neck, back, and pelvis, which can significantly influence how the shoulder functions.
Osteopaths use a hands-on osteopathic treatment approach, combined with rehabilitation exercises and patient education about what caused the pain in the first instance and what you can do to prevent the pain from re-occurring.
Hands-on treatment focuses on gentle manipulation techniques focussing on the joints and soft tissues surrounding the shoulder and surrounding area. Mobilisation techniques are used to restore the range of movement into the shoulder gently.
It’s also important to remember that shoulder pain can affect people of all ages; children, teenagers, the elderly – it’s is not caused by old age!
When we treat patients with shoulder pain, our main aim is to return patients to health and the activities they normally enjoy doing as quickly as possible!
The process of healing begins almost immediately after a shoulder injury and proceeds in a relatively organised fashion. It follows 3 Phases of Healing that often overlap and can take anywhere from a few weeks to months to heal, depending on the severity of the injury. For more information about the healing process – Click Here.
So don’t suffer Shoulder Pain needlessly- we’re here to help!
If you are struggling with an Injured Shoulder – Our Osteopaths are here to help you!
Please do not hesitate to contact Lorraine Herity at Better Health Osteopathy in Christchurch today. Call 027 755 5700 or book online.
Lorraine Herity is the Clinic Director of Better Health Osteopathy in Christchurch, New Zealand. She previously worked in Osteopathic clinics in London and Ireland, before moving to New Zealand. Lorraine trained at the British School of Osteopathy in London, where she gained her Master of Osteopathy (M.Ost). Lorraine is a dedicated and passionate Osteopath. Her main aim is to help her patients regain their health and to return her patients back to their everyday activities, in as quick a time as possible. Lorraine is also a clinic tutor on the Osteopathic Course in Ara and relishes the opportunity to teach the next generation of osteopaths.
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