Shoulder pain & frozen shoulder.

Shoulder pain & functional asymmetry

Shoulders are one of the most mobile joints in the human body, but they’re easily interrupted by the body’s functional asymmetry — leading to shoulder pain and issues like frozen shoulder. More than twenty muscles affect the correct functioning of your shoulders, which makes them very sensitive to repetitive strain and injury. If you feel even light interruptions to your shoulder movement, act early to avoid pain and long-lasting problems.

The scapulae — your shoulder blades — are one of the most important parts of the shoulder structure. I have seen cases where the left and right shoulder blades sit up to 5 cm out of alignment, and arms rotated or inverted by as much as 90 degrees, with some clients unable to lift their shoulders to a horizontal level. The good news: this can be helped.

Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)

Frozen shoulder is a rare but serious ailment. Also known as adhesive capsulitis, it isn’t the same as a rotator cuff tear or impingement — those are common, but a frozen shoulder is not.

The shoulder capsule is the soft “skin” around the joint that holds the fluid allowing smooth, gliding movement. Because the shoulder has such a wide range of motion, the capsule is large and loose. With a frozen shoulder it becomes hot, inflamed and begins to shrink — fibrosis and scarring set in, and the capsule shrink-wraps around the head of the humerus. This leads to serious pain and a sharply limited range, until even simple movements like raising food to your mouth become difficult.

Bursitis

Bursitis occurs when the small, fluid-filled sacs (bursae) that cushion the bones, tendons and muscles near a joint become inflamed — usually from repetitive motion or sudden trauma. Because the shoulder is made up of so many joints, tendons and muscles, bursitis often affects it, most commonly in the subacromial area. Good Bowen Therapy can provide gentle treatment for subacromial bursitis.

Elbow pain

Tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, carpal tunnel and associated shoulder pain often present as a side effect of inflammation and muscle overuse — strenuous movement or repetitive medial rotation of the elbow, as well as falls and injuries. Good Bowen Therapy offers a holistic approach to elbow-related pain.

Helpful reading about shoulder and neck pain therapy

• 6 Most Common Shoulder Injuries and Symptoms
• Bowen Therapy for Neck Pain: A Comprehensive Guide
• Effective Exercises to Relieve Neck Pain at Home
• Effective Techniques for Shoulder Pain Relief
• Exercises for Shoulder Pain: A Guide to Relief and Recovery
• Natural Remedies to Soothe Chronic Neck Pain

Explore all 14 guides

• Neck Pain Taylors Hill Sunshine
• Preventing Shoulder Pain: Tips for a Healthy Shoulder
• Shoulder Pain Sunshine Keilor Brunswick
• The Role of Physical Therapy in Neck Pain Recovery
• Top 10 Causes of Neck Pain and How to Avoid Them
• Understanding Cervical Disc Problems and Neck Pain
• Why Your Shoulder Pain Won’t Go Away
• Yoga Poses That Can Help Ease Neck Pain