Joint Dysfunction
Joint dysfunction can affect any of the joints in your body from your spine to your shoulder, elbow, wrist, hips, knees and ankles. Joint dysfunction occurs due to injury, age, overuse and certain diseases which affect the joints. If your joints are not functioning properly, they will have a negative impact on the way your body moves and how efficiently you carry out day-to-day activities.
Shoulder
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the human body, however, this also makes it the most unstable joint in the human body. It is easily subject to injury because the ball of the upper arm is larger than the shoulder socket that holds it. In order to remain stable, the shoulder must be anchored by its muscles, tendons and ligaments. Some shoulder problems arise from the disruption of these soft tissues as a result of injury or from overuse or underuse of the shoulder. Other problems arise from a degenerative process in which tissues break down and no longer function well.
Shoulder pain may be localised or may be referred to areas around the shoulder or down the arm. Disease within the body (such as gallbladder, liver or heart disease, or disease of the cervical spine of the neck) also may generate pain that travels along nerves to the shoulder.
There are many different conditions within the shoulder which can cause pain.
- Arthritis – [insert link]
- Tendonitis, impingement syndrome and bursitis – (inflammation of a fluid-filled sac, which lies between tendon and skin or between tendon and bone and acts as a cushion for the joint). These three conditions are closely linked and may occur on their own or in combination. If the rotator cuff and bursa are irritated, inflamed and swollen, they result in pain and difficulty in moving the shoulder. Repeated motion involving the arms, or the aging process involving shoulder motion over many years, may also irritate and wear down the tendons, muscles and surrounding structures.
- Fractures
- Adhesive capsulitis – also known as frozen shoulder syndrome occurs when the muscles, tendons and ligaments stiff up inside the shoulder and make any motion painful and difficult.
- Dislocation of the shoulder.
Elbow Dysfunction
The elbow is the joint where three long bones meet in the middle portion of the arm. The bone of the upper arm (humerus) meets the inner bone of the forearm (ulna) and the outer bone of the forearm (radius) to form a hinge joint. The radius and ulna also meet in the elbow to allow for rotation of the forearm. The elbow functions to move the arm like a hinge (forward and backward) and in rotation (twisting outward and inward).
Common conditions in the elbow are:
Tennis elbow – [insert link]
Golfer’s elbow – [insert link]
Arthritis – [insert link]
Wrist Dysfunction
Wrist pain is an extremely common complaint, and there are many common causes of this problem. It is important to make an accurate diagnosis of the cause of your symptoms so that appropriate treatment can be directed at the cause.
If you have wrist pain, some common causes include:
Tendonitis – is a common problem that can cause wrist pain and swelling. Pain is due to inflammation of the tendon sheath and is usually caused by falls and sporting injuries.
Wrist sprains – are common injuries to the ligaments around the wrist joint. Sprains can cause problems by limiting the use of our hands and are often caused by falls and sporting injuries.
Arthritis – is a problem that can cause wrist pain and difficulty performing normal activities. There are many causes of arthritis in the wrist, most commonly changes due to age, repeated overuse and rheumatoid arthritis.
Carpal tunnel syndrome – is a condition that results from dysfunction of one of the nerves in the wrist. In carpal tunnel syndrome, the median nerve is compressed or pinched off as it passes through the wrist joint and this causes pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the hand.
Shoulder
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the human body, however, this also makes it the most unstable joint in the human body. It is easily subject to injury because the ball of the upper arm is larger than the shoulder socket that holds it. In order to remain stable, the shoulder must be anchored by its muscles, tendons and ligaments. Some shoulder problems arise from the disruption of these soft tissues as a result of injury or from overuse or underuse of the shoulder. Other problems arise from a degenerative process in which tissues break down and no longer function well.
Shoulder pain may be localised or may be referred to areas around the shoulder or down the arm. Disease within the body (such as gallbladder, liver or heart disease, or disease of the cervical spine of the neck) also may generate pain that travels along nerves to the shoulder.
There are many different conditions within the shoulder which can cause pain.
- Arthritis – [insert link]
- Tendonitis, impingement syndrome and bursitis – (inflammation of a fluid-filled sac, which lies between tendon and skin or between tendon and bone and acts as a cushion for the joint). These three conditions are closely linked and may occur on their own or in combination. If the rotator cuff and bursa are irritated, inflamed and swollen, they result in pain and difficulty in moving the shoulder. Repeated motion involving the arms, or the aging process involving shoulder motion over many years, may also irritate and wear down the tendons, muscles and surrounding structures.
- Fractures
- Adhesive capsulitis – also known as frozen shoulder syndrome occurs when the muscles, tendons and ligaments stiff up inside the shoulder and make any motion painful and difficult.
- Dislocation of the shoulder.
Elbow Dysfunction
The elbow is the joint where three long bones meet in the middle portion of the arm. The bone of the upper arm (humerus) meets the inner bone of the forearm (ulna) and the outer bone of the forearm (radius) to form a hinge joint. The radius and ulna also meet in the elbow to allow for rotation of the forearm. The elbow functions to move the arm like a hinge (forward and backward) and in rotation (twisting outward and inward).
Common conditions in the elbow are:
Tennis elbow – [insert link]
Golfer’s elbow – [insert link]
Arthritis – [insert link]
Wrist Dysfunction
Wrist pain is an extremely common complaint, and there are many common causes of this problem. It is important to make an accurate diagnosis of the cause of your symptoms so that appropriate treatment can be directed at the cause.
If you have wrist pain, some common causes include:
Tendonitis – is a common problem that can cause wrist pain and swelling. Pain is due to inflammation of the tendon sheath and is usually caused by falls and sporting injuries.
Wrist sprains – are common injuries to the ligaments around the wrist joint. Sprains can cause problems by limiting the use of our hands and are often caused by falls and sporting injuries.
Arthritis – is a problem that can cause wrist pain and difficulty performing normal activities. There are many causes of arthritis in the wrist, most commonly changes due to age, repeated overuse and rheumatoid arthritis.
Carpal tunnel syndrome – is a condition that results from dysfunction of one of the nerves in the wrist. In carpal tunnel syndrome, the median nerve is compressed or pinched off as it passes through the wrist joint and this causes pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the hand.
Conditions - Quick Links
Neck Pain - Back Pain - Migraines - Sports Injury - Shoulder Pain - Increased Energy and Enhanced Performance - Pregnancy - Tennis Elbow - Posture - Disc Herniation - Flexibility - Scoliosis - Subluxation - Arthritis - Joint Dysfunction - Knee Pain - Soft Tissue Injury / Sprains and Strains - Golfer's Elbow - Hip Pain - Tightness
Lisburn Chiropractic Clinic