Shoulder Pain Heart Attack or Rotator Cuff Injury by Dr Jason Fowler
The great TV classic ER helps teach armchair physicians to become amateur diagnosticians. He's in shock She's got kidney stones Rule out pheochromocytoma
But sometimes a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing
You've learned somewhere on the network news in the Science section of The New York Times or in a CPR class at your job that shoulder pain can mean you're having a heart attack. Now seemingly out of the blue your shoulder begins to ache throb. Very concerned you rush to the local emergency room.
The resident's first question of course is "where does it hurt" You point to your right shoulder blurt out "Am I having a heart attack " The resident smiles gently reassuring. "A heart attack might give you pain in your left shoulder," she says. "Have you been to the gym lately This could be a rotator cuff strain. "
The resident knows that heart attack symptoms usually involve chest pain in two thirds of cases may include faintness shortness of breath sweating a feeling of impending doom. 1 Chest pain may spread to the back jaw arms. Left arm pain may radiate to the inside of the forearm the ring little fingers. Shoulder pain by itself probably doesnt suggest a heart attack.
She orders an MRI which shows mild damage to the right rotator cuff. What is going on What exactly is the rotator cuff
The rotator cuff is muscular sheath that surrounds the head of the arm bone the humerus the entire shoulder joint really two joints the acromioclavicular glenohumeral joints . The four muscles that comprise the rotator cuff help to raise the arm to the front the side help turn the shoulder inward outward.
If you're a sports fan you know that rotator cuff injuries affect baseball pitchers tennis players swimmers football players. Such injuries are due to repetitive motion they may also result from falling on the shoulder or arm or lifting heavy weights.
Rotator cuff injuries may also be slowly developing chronic related to arthritic degenerative changes in the rotator cuff tendon the two shoulder joints. Low grade pain may develop the pain may become aching throbbing chronic. Raising the arm may cause pain there may be loss of mobility. 2
In the above 40 population lack of exercise chronically poor posture may contribute to rotator cuff problems. Sitting at a desk all day with your neck jutting forward slumped shoulders places long term mechanical stress on the rotator cuff.
Chiropractic treatment may be very useful in helping to rehabilitate chronic rotator cuff injuries. The chiropractic physician is expert in evaluating postural problems associated spinal conditions. By providing effective treatment postural corrections rehabilitative exercise chiropractors offer a comprehensive therapeutic program to reduce pain improve shoulder mobility regain function.
1Source Cedars Sinai cedars sinai. edu 2Baring T et al Management of rotator cuff disease. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 21 2 :279 294 2007.
For more information on wellness feel free to contact Dr. FowlerDr. Fowler lakestlouisdc. com at lakestlouisdc. com lakestlouisdc. com lakestlouisdc. com Shoulder Pain Heart Attack or Rotator Cuff Injury
