What Is Shoulder Bursitis (And How Do You Treat It?)

According to the CDC, one out of every five Americans suffers from chronic pain. And 8% of chronic pain sufferers admit that it impacts their daily life. 

If you’re suffering from pain that makes it hard to work or enjoy life, it’s time to do something about it. Instead of suffering in silence, reach out for help.

If you suffer from chronic shoulder pain, you may be experiencing shoulder bursitis. Keep reading to learn more about this condition and how to treat it. 

What Is Shoulder Bursitis

Shoulder bursitis, or bursitis of the shoulder, is the painful inflammation of your shoulder joint. 

To get more technical, the condition is caused when the shoulder bursa is irritated. The bursae are liquid-filled sacs found near the joints in your body. When the bursa sac is irritated, it becomes inflamed and increases in size — meaning there is less room for the tendons and muscles in your shoulder to move around. 

What Are the Symptoms of Shoulder Bursitis

How do you know if you’re suffering from a bursitis shoulder and not another condition? There are a few specific symptoms you should look out for, including:

• Reduced range of motion in your shoulder
• Pain around the tip or outside of your shoulder
• Pain when your shoulder is touched
• Pain when you lift your arm 
• Swelling and redness around your shoulder

If these symptoms are combined with a fever, you should seek medical attention immediately as you may be dealing with an infection. 

Common Causes of Shoulder Bursitis

Now that you know what shoulder bursitis is and what the symptoms are, you may be wondering what caused it. 

The most common cause of shoulder bursitis is simply the overuse of your shoulder. Any repetitive motion can irritate the shoulder bursa, causing inflammation and pain. Many times, shoulder bursitis is caused by playing sports that involve your shoulder muscles, such as tennis, baseball, or even weight training. 

Shoulder bursitis can also be caused by a traumatic event, such as a car crash or a fall. If your shoulder area is injured during the event, bursitis may occur. 

KT Tape for Shoulder Bursitis

The good news is that shoulder bursitis is treatable with the help of a good chiropractor. 

One of the most effective treatments involves Kinesiology Taping (KT tape). This treatment involves a thin, stretchy athletic tape placed on the injured area to provide support. A trained chiropractor can apply the tape in a way that relieves both the pain and inflammation. The chiropractor can also align the shoulder joint making sure to decrease inflammation to the area and letting it properly heal. 

The great thing about KT tape is that it provides relief for the entire time that it is on your body. Once applied, the tape can generally  work for five days. 

Receive Chiropractic Care for Your Shoulder Bursitis Today! 

If you’re tired of suffering from shoulder bursitis, it’s time to receive chiropractic care. 

Our team at Amazing Life Chiropractic and Wellness are here to help you recover. With years of experience, our team is dedicated to providing you the best care possible. 

Click here to book an appointment at our office in North Creek near the Mill Creek Town Center. 

Lean on Me: What’s the Best Treatment for Shoulder Tendonitis?

Shoulder tendonitis is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain. Also known as shoulder impingement, this condition causes inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons. It can make it different to hold your arm in certain positions, play sports, or even sleep.

Rotator cuff abnormalities affect 9.7 to 62% of the population. The risk of developing shoulder tendonitis and other related conditions increases with age. 

Athletes are more likely to develop this condition. Baseball and volleyball players, swimmers, and weightlifters face the highest risk. Manual labor and falls may cause injuries to your shoulder too.

Getting adequate treatment in a timely manner may help prevent complications. Therapeutic exercises combined with proper rest and chiropractic care can speed up your recovery.

Interested to find out more? Here’s what you should know about shoulder tendonitis treatment in Mill Creek, Washington so you can make an informed decision.

Shoulder Tendonitis Causes and Symptoms

This condition is common in both athletes and middle-aged people. Baseball players, tennis players, and bodybuilders, and other athletes who use their arms overhead are at higher risk. Occupations that involve manual work may lead to shoulder pain and inflammation too.

Rotator cuff tendonitis, or shoulder tendonitis, causes tenderness and swelling in the front of your shoulder. Its symptoms may resemble those of other injuries or conditions, which is why it’s important to see a doctor. These may include:

• Shoulder pain and soreness
• Mild swelling
• Clicking sounds when using the shoulder
• Sharp pain when lifting your arm
• Stiffness and limited range of motion

These symptoms are typically due to overuse of a muscle or tendon, but they may also result from trauma to the shoulder or inflammatory diseases.

If you have shoulder pain, your doctor may recommend an MRI scan, X-rays, or other diagnostic tests. First, he will try to rule out bursitis and other disorders with similar symptoms.

Know Your Treatment Options

After a physical examination, your doctor will prescribe a treatment plan based on your age, symptoms, and other factors. A combination of strengthening exercises, massage therapy, and rest is effective in most cases.

Chiropractic care offers a non-invasive approach to shoulder tendonitis treatment. This form of therapy can help relieve muscle tension and strengthen the affected tendon, leading to pain relief.

Your chiropractor may also recommend bracing, ice therapy, and other techniques to decrease inflammation. As you begin to heal, he may prescribe gentle exercises to strengthen your shoulder and increase its mobility. 

Side-lying external rotations, doorway stretches, and supine passive arm elevation are just a few examples. The pendulum exercise can help too. Consistency is the key.

With proper care, your symptoms should subside within two weeks to one month. Surgery should be your last resort.

Relieve Shoulder Pain Naturally

Shoulder tendonitis can be debilitating. The sooner you do something about it, the lower the risk of complications.

At Amazing Life Chiropractic and Wellness, we provide chiropractic care, massage therapy, and custom exercise programs in Mill Creek, Washington. If you’re struggling with shoulder pain, we can develop a treatment plan that fits into your lifestyle.

Don’t make any compromises when it comes to your health. Reach out to our team to discuss your needs and see how we can help!

A Complete Guide to Tennis Elbow Symptoms and Treatments

Are you having aches on the outside of your elbow? Does your pain get worse when holding objects or shaking hands? These are potential symptoms of tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, a condition that affects 1 to 3% of the population.

Despite its name, this injury isn’t always related to playing tennis. In general, it’s due to overuse of the forearm muscles and tendons. Repetitive movements, such as typing, painting, and weightlifting, are often the culprits.

Tennis elbow symptoms vary from mild to severe. At first, you may notice pain on the outside of your upper forearm. Over time, the pain may worsen and affect your grip.

Luckily, this overuse injury responds well to conservative treatment. Surgery is only required in severe cases. Let’s take a closer look at its symptoms and treatment options so you can take the steps needed to regain your mobility.

What Is Tennis Elbow?

Lateral epicondylitis, also known as Tennis Elbow, is the most common overuse injury affecting the elbow. It’s caused by repetitive movements of the forearm muscles, which put stress on the tendons that connect your elbow to these muscles.

Playing sports or repeating certain arm movements may cause small tears near the bony lump on the outside of the elbow. In the long run, these small tears lead to wear-and-tear of the tendons. As a result, you may experience pain and inflammation.

Athletes and manual laborers are at greater risk of developing tennis elbow. Simple changes, like stretching before exercise or manual work and using power tools rather than hand tools, may help prevent this painful condition.

Early treatment is crucial for a successful recovery. If left unaddressed, this injury may worsen and lead to complete tendon rupture. Therefore, it’s important to recognize its symptoms and reach out to a chiropractor or physical therapist before it’s too late.

Tennis Elbow Symptoms

The most common symptom of lateral epicondylitis is elbow pain that worsens gradually. The pain is usually felt on the outside of your elbow and may travel down your forearm toward the wrist.

Golfer’s elbow, a similar injury, causes pain on the inside of the elbow.

Lateral epicondylitis may also cause pain when extending your arm, gripping small objects, writing, or typing. Over time, your elbow may become painful to touch.

You may experience these symptoms in one or both arms. Pain may worsen when you straighten your wrist, raise your hand, open a door, or make a fist. These issues can affect your range of motion and interfere with your day-to-day activities.

Tennis Elbow Pain Treatment

Generally, chiropractic care or physical therapy is the first line of treatment for acute tennis elbow. Braces, exercise therapy, and manual adjustment can make a world of difference. Corticosteroid injections are typically recommended in more severe cases and may not work for everyone.

Resting the affected muscles and tendons is essential. Applying ice to the outside of your elbow may provide temporary relief. If necessary, you may take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the pain and swelling.

Once the inflammation subsides, you can perform stretching and strengthening exercises, such as wrist turns and towel twists. A physical therapist can help with that. He may also recommend kinesiology tape (KT) to relieve the pain and prevent further injury.

Regain Your Flexibility and Range of Motion

Tennis elbow symptoms can affect your quality of life and keep you from doing the things you enjoy. You may have a difficult time playing sports, painting, writing, or even cooking. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Our team in Mill Creek, Washington can help you regain your flexibility and ease the pain. Depending on your needs, we may recommend chiropractic care, KT tape, tennis elbow exercises, and more.

Wrist Pain 101: Causes, Symptoms, and Effective Solutions

The wrist is a complex joint that’s made up of eight small bones. Without them, your hand wouldn’t work nearly the same way!

Keep in mind, however, that it’s also prone to injury. In fact, wrist injuries account for almost 25% of all sports injuries. Whats’s more, is that there’s always a chance that it can lead to a long-term disability.

Are you experiencing wrist pain? Want to know why it’s happening and how you can treat it? Then make sure to read the rest of the post—we’ll be going over everything that you need to know!

What is Wrist Pain?

Wrist pain refers to any discomfort that’s felt in the wrist. The exact pain, however, depends on the cause. For example, some people may experience dull pain whereas others may experience a pins-and-needles feeling.

More often than not, it will affect the bones, tendons, or ligaments in the area.

Causes for Wrist Pain

Several conditions can cause wrist pain—one of them being carpal tunnel syndrome. Relatively common, it occurs when the median nerve becomes pinched or compressed.

Gout and arthritis are two other causes. The former is caused by a buildup of uric acid whereas the latter refers to inflammation of the joints.

Aside from that, certain sports such as golf, tennis, or baseball; along with certain careers such as hair dressers, mechanics and plumbers, (basically anything that involves repetitive movements of the hand) can also cause injuries to the wrist, which can result in pain.

Splints Used for Wrist Pain

One of the best ways to treat wrist pain is to wear a splint. It’ll prevent you from moving it in a certain way so that you won’t irritate it further.

In doing so, it’ll help ease the pain. Not only that, but it can reduce swelling as well.

Keep in mind, however, that not all splints are the same. For example, you’ll want to pay attention to the material, support, and sizing.

When in doubt, you can always ask your health care provider for recommendations.

Chiropractic Treatments For Wrist Pain

Chiropractic care isn’t just for back pain, it can help with your wrist pain as well. For instance, a chiropractor can perform a wrist adjustment if there’s a misaligned bone.

Even if manual adjustment is not an option (it depends on the source of the pain), there’s an instrument that they can use to deliver quick, low-impact impulses to the wrist.

In some cases, they may also refer you to another health care provider. At the end of the day, it all depends on what they find.

Treating Wrist Pain 

The bottom line is—there are multiple ways that you can treat wrist pain. Generally speaking, the sooner you address the problem, the better! If anything, you don’t want to wait until it gets worse before getting it checked out.

Thinking of going to a chiropractor? Don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule an appointment!