US Chiropractic Directory - US Chiropractic Directory

Shoulder, Arm, Elbow, Wrist, Hand and Chiropractic

William J. Owens DC, DAAMLP

Mark Studin DC, FASBE(C), DAAPM, DAAMLP

*in this paper, we are listing research to understand that chiropractor care correlates with the scientific evidence.

When most people think of chiropractic care, they immediately picture the spine. Chiropractors are “back doctors” is a common misconception. The truth is that doctors of chiropractic are trained to look at the whole person, not just the spine. The neurology inside and around the spinal column is so important that it is the foundation of chiropractic philosophy, but the truth is, the entire body is controlled by the nervous system.

In the upper limbs for example, there are numerous joints, muscle and ligaments that influence posture, our ability to work and enjoy our life. Sometimes the issue is not in the spine, but in one of the arms or legs. Chiropractic doctors are trained in the anatomy of the human body and actually have more anatomy instruction than their medical counterparts. It is the foundation of what we do. A recent study was published that looked at all of the research related to chiropractic treatment of upper limb conditions. This is important because it gives a single source to study all the research that has been published in the past. In this case since 1982!

The diagnosis and treatment of upper limb disorders is not only a part of the core curriculum of chiropractic education, but is a major part of post-graduate courses on orthopedics and neurology. When it comes to non-surgical care for the upper limbs, chiropractic is aligned perfectly to help restore pain free movement and increase strength all while maintaining the integrity of the chiropractic philosophy. Did you know that 17.1% of all presenting complaints to the chiropractic office are made up of peripheral (arm or leg) conditions with 75% of all chiropractors including adjustments to the non-spinal joints of the body?

The following chart will help you to understand which conditions may respond well to chiropractic. In conditions where there is injury to the muscle or ligament, doctors of chiropractic are trained to use soft tissue and rehabilitative techniques.

Condition	Responded to Chiropractic	Research Paper and Date
Shoulder Impingement Syndrome	YES	Pribicevic and Pollard 2005 Gleberzon 2005 Pribicevic and Pollard 2004 Smith 2000 Williams and Brockhohn 1994 Shrode 1994 Plezbert and Nicholson 1994 Kampschroder et al 1990
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome	YES	Rimbey 2005 Vernon 1982
Elbow Pain	YES	Konczak 2005 Coppieters et al 2004 Annis 2003 Kaufman 2000 Tchoryk 2000 Lawrence and Humphery 1997 Greenly and Bergmann 1990 Woo 1988
Frozen Shoulder Syndrome	YES	Valli 2004 Donahue et al 2003 Kazemi 2000 Harmeyer 1995 Ferguson 1995 Polkinghorn 1995 Feeley 1992
Separated Shoulder	YES	Kiner 2004 Stoddard and Johnson 2000
Swimmer’s Shoulder	YES	Kurtz 2004
Shoulder Instability	YES	Moreau and Moreau 2001
Rotator Cuff Tear	YES	Kazemi 1999 Buchberger 1993
Shoulder Tendonitis	YES	Gimblett et al 1999 Nia 1994
Scapular Winging	YES	Horrigan et al 1994
Chronic Bursitis	YES	Hammer 1993 Volstad 1983
Wrist Pain	YES	DeSantis 2004 Russell 2003 McDermott 2003
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome	YES	Davis 2004 Brunarski et al 2004 Pringle et al 2003 Brown et al 1999 Petruska 1997 Buchberger et al 1996 Valente and Gibson 1994 Mariano et al 1991

If you are experiencing problems with your shoulders, elbows, wrist or hands it may be time to sit and discuss your situation with a doctor of chiropractic. The conservative and hands on approach may just be what you need.