A “frozen shoulder” can mean one of two things: moving your shoulder is so painful you have limited range; or you feel little or no pain in your shoulder but have little or no range of motion. Either is a big problem. Untreated, it can take years to “self-correct” if it ever does. That’s why many afflicted with a frozen should have turned to chiropractic.

“Most people think chiropractic only involves adjustment of the spine. For something like a frozen shoulder, we can also do some adjusting of the shoulder joints—specifically the gleno-humeral joint and the acromion-clavicular joint or shoulder and collar bone, respectively,” said David Dwyer, president of the Chiropractic Society of Rhode Island and a chiropractic physician at Tollgate Chiropractic in Warwick and Wakefield, RI. “By adjusting these joints, we can restore proper joint motion, position and ultimately function.”

Dr. Dwyer also notes that manipulation of the shoulder joints is but one part of the chiropractic treatment for a frozen shoulder. The more traditional chiropractic adjustment addresses the cervical and upper thoracic spine range of motion, which in turn affects the ability of your shoulder to properly function.

A chiropractic adjustment also impacts the portion of the nervous system that communicates with the shoulder. So, by increasing the spinal joint motion and improving the nervous system communication level, a patient can begin to see the first steps in the healing process.

“Chiropractic can be a starting point to heal a frozen shoulder without surgery,” said Dr. Dwyer. “In addition to adjustments, we can also recommend exercises that complement adjustments and increase range of motion while decreasing the pain.”

If you are not currently seeing a chiropractor and want to explore how chiropractic can help your frozen shoulder, you can utilize the “Find A Doctor” feature on the Chiropractic Society of Rhode Island’s website, www.richiro.org.

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