Shoulder & Elbow Pain in Athletes

Assessment and Treatment of Neck, Shoulder, and Arms

Shoulder and elbow pain are extremely common complaints among athletes, particularly baseball players, tennis players, and other arm-extensive sports. Athletes who participated in their primary sport for more hours per week than their age were +34% more likely to report an injury in the previous year. Overuse and overextension are among the most common causes of shoulder and elbow injuries. This exemplifies the importance of the kinetic chain as “minor” mobility issues that don’t seem impactful to your sports performance can cause injuries. According to The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine “college baseball pitchers with less neck mobility during the preseason had an increased risk of time loss and shoulder and elbow disability during the season.” Working with a sports performance oriented chiropractor can help you reduce risk for future injury or if you prefer to wait, we can identify the causes of your pain or injury, help you recover strength and velocity.

Common Causes of Shoulder & Elbow Pain in Athletes:

Overuse and overextension of the neck and arms are among the most common causes of shoulder and elbow pain in athletes. With athletes specializing in sport at an early age, this should come as no surprise if you watch the number of repetitions and time they spend in positions necessary to play their sport. One study found that 45% of highly specialized athletes surveyed reported an overuse injury in the last year. Athletes who played their primary sport more than 8 months of the year were more likely to report an upper extremity overuse injury (+68%) or a lower extremity overuse injury (+66%). Racket sports, golf, throwing activities, and contact sports are the most likely to result in neck, shoulder, and elbow pain.

Assessing Shoulder & Elbow Pain:

A sports performance oriented chiropractor will carefully assess mobility and discomfort in your neck, shoulders, and arms. An assessment for this type of injury will involve taking a close look at mobility throughout your entire body, not just your upper extremities. A sports performance oriented chiropractor will look at your whole body’s ability to transmit force across various slings, to see how your body biases movement and creates stability. Then, a sports rehabilitation specialist will assess your joint palpation, looking for joint blockage or myofascial tissue blockage limiting mobility or causing asymmetries. These steps of evaluation help assess your active vs your passive range of motion, indicating what limitation is being caused by motor control or tissue blockage. Muscle testing helps assess sensory motor integration, in other words, your mind-muscle connection, and muscle palpation will provide an assessment of muscle tissue quality. A sports performance oriented chiropractor will also conduct nerve tension testing to determine if nerves and muscles are sliding freely.

Common Treatments for Neck Mobility:

After conducting all of the evaluation steps mentioned above, a sports rehabilitation specialist will match the presentation and findings with the appropriate intervention. Multiple treatment modalities may be used to address multiple causes. A sports performance oriented chiropractor will provide adjustments to help improve mobility, electro-acupuncture for pain, and rehabilitative exercises for strength. Click here to read more about the fundamentals of sports injury rehabilitation. A sports rehabilitation therapist may also provide soft tissue therapy, such as manual release, cupping, or instrument assisted, to common nerve entrapment sites scalenes, subclavius, coracoid, pronator teres, etc.

Common Treatments for Shoulder & Elbow Pain:

It is important to work with a highly trained and qualified sports injury rehabilitation specialist to avoid exacerbating an injury. After a thorough evaluation a sport performance oriented chiropractor will match their findings with the appropriate interventions. The wrong intervention technique could actually impede your physical recovery and leave you vulnerable to future injuries. For shoulder and elbow pain, a sports performance oriented chiropractor is likely to offer physical adjustments to help improve mobility, electro-acupuncture for pain, and rehabilitative exercises for strength. A sports rehabilitation therapist may also provide soft tissue therapy, such as manual release, cupping, or instrument assisted, to common nerve entrapment sites scalenes, subclavius, coracoid, pronator teres, etc.

If you’re experiencing neck, shoulder, or elbow pain as a result of playing your sport, it’s time to work with a highly qualified sports injury rehabilitation specialist for evaluation and a customized treatment plan. Click here to schedule an appointment with Werner Athletics to begin your athletic recovery process and get back in the game.