Under normal circumstances, the shoulder has the greatest mobility of any of the body’s joints. But when something goes wrong, it can mean pain, limitation and frustration.

Shoulders are complicated, and shoulder pain can have many causes. Unlocking the cause of shoulder pain requires an in-depth understanding of its anatomy, function, and how it relates to other parts of the body.

Here at Good Health Centre in Leeds, our osteopaths know shoulders inside and out. They’ve helped people with new and long-term pain, with sports injuries and arthritis, with pain coming from the shoulder joint and shoulder pain that comes from somewhere else entirely.

Our large osteopathic team has provided over 500,000 treatments. If you have shoulder pain, we have the availability and expertise to help.

Shoulder pain can be felt in different areas. It can be near the neck. Or it can be at the edge of the shoulder and top of the arm.

You may feel pain at the front of the shoulder, by the chest. Or perhaps you have pain at the back, around the shoulder blade.

You may even have pain that spreads down the arm to the hand.

Shoulder pain can be a dull ache, or it can be sharp, stabbing or catching. It can radiate down your arm, or you may have tingling in your hand. You may find you start to lose full movement.

Commonly, people find pain starts with certain movements, such as rotating or raising the shoulder.

You might notice pain when trying to put on a jacket, or when reaching to a high shelf. Often, the pain progresses so other movements start to hurt, too.

Sometimes, people find they can no longer lie on the affected shoulder in bed.

Your shoulder may become stiff, such as with a frozen shoulder. It can become hard to do your normal activities. Even lifting a kettle or turning a door handle can become a challenge.

Don’t worry – most causes of shoulder pain can be effectively treated by an osteopath.

The shoulder is made up of three bones, several ligaments, and many muscles and tendons. There are also some bursae – small, fluid-filled sacs designed to help tendons, bones and ligaments slide over each other.

And, including nerves and blood vessels, you can see that there are a lot of structures crammed into a small space!

Any of these structures can produce pain.

The fact that the shoulder joint can move so much leaves the muscles and ligaments vulnerable to strain from overstretching.

Sports injuries can result from repetitive use, such as in tennis or swimming. Or pain can come from trauma, such as a fall, or from wear and tear.

However, pain you feel in your shoulder can also come from other places. It could be from your neck, your heart or lungs, or even your digestive system.

Osteopaths know how to differentiate all these causes.

Osteopaths work holistically, which means they do more than simply identifying the part causing the pain. They seek to understand all the factors that have triggered that part to hurt. They look at your biomechanics to see how other areas of your body are affecting your shoulder.

 In addition, they consider previous injuries and illnesses, medicines, and your activities, habits and lifestyle. That way, they can work out a treatment plan that addresses all these things to give you a long-term solution to your pain. 

Once your osteopath has made a diagnosis, they will work with you to formulate a management plan.

They will treat you during the first session, unless they suspect that your pain has a medical cause and needs further tests. In that case, they will refer you to your GP.

The osteopath may treat other areas of your body, not just your shoulder. This is because other areas can affect the way the shoulder functions.

In addition, the osteopath will give you advice on how to manage your pain at home. This might include using painkillers, stretches and exercises, and finding ways to sleep, work and carry on activities that don’t aggravate your pain.