Is it Really Your Shoulder?

For those of you who have had shoulder pain or discomfort at some point in time, I’m sure you can attest it is definitely not a good time. Second to a lower extremity issue, shoulder problems can be most frustrating because most people have to use their hands and arms every day.

Have you ever had the kind of shoulder pain that just won’t go away, no matter what position you put your arm in or how many different stretches you do to alleviate the pain, only to find that same dull, achy, boring discomfort hasn’t budged?

It might even seem difficult to pinpoint. If someone asked you to point to exactly where it is bothering you, you might find yourself highlighting the whole shoulder with a big sweeping hand motion. Sound familiar? If you’re someone who has experienced this before AND your pain seems to only bother you at rest or in the evening when you’re sitting around not doing much, you might want to read on.

What if I told you this might not actually be coming from the shoulder? I know this seems impossible, given the nature of what it feels like at certain times. But if you found that the description above seems very close to how you feel on a daily basis, this might be something we refer to as a Central or Peripheral Nerve Radiculopathy.

What does that mean? Basically, it is a problem with a nerve, not a joint or muscle, somewhere within the musculoskeletal system, and the muscles or area of skin that the nerve innervates or sends messages to, is where you feel the symptoms. When it comes to free space, nerves are very greedy. They do not like when someone or something tries to take up their real estate. Because of this, they get irritated and send funny signals along their distribution, leading to pain that is perceived elsewhere, which is known as a referred pain pattern.

If this is hard to wrap your head around, think about this analogy: there are two kids on the playground. One of them is crying, and the other one looks guilty. Which one is the problem? Should we punish or discipline the one crying? Of course not! So when it comes to your shoulder that seems to never get better with stretching or other forms of exercise, this makes just about as much sense as yelling at a kid to stop crying after little Johnny tripped him and he landed face first in the dirt.

If this sounds like you, start to ask yourself “Is it really my shoulder?”. If you aren’t sure, you can always consult a healthcare provider who specializes in treating functional musculoskeletal type injuries!

Yours in health,

Kevin Noel, DC CSCS