Mysterious shoulder pains can start up with no apparent reason, making you wonder – why
now, what did I do?
Here are two real life examples of shoulder pain that had long-forgotten origins.
One client in their seventies had seen many practitioners before seeing me for their stiff
shoulders and discomfort on breathing. They had enjoyed a highly active life before this pain
started but as we dived deep into their history, they recalled being in a serious car accident
as a young child. Among the injuries was a broken collar bone that may have been
somewhat overlooked at the time due to other more pressing injuries. We can’t know exactly
what happened then, but it’s probably safe to say that the area around the old break very
gradually became stiff and started to affect shoulder and rib movement. Once we made the
possible connection between what happened all that time ago and the current problem, we
could develop a treatment plan, which worked – to the client’s great relief. They say the body
keeps the score, and in this case it certainly had.
Another client in their eighties had neck and shoulder pain with no known cause. Again after
a deep dive into their earlier life, we found that years ago they had injuries from contact
sports, including one that had resulted in hospitalisation for a punctured lung. Understanding
this was a game changer for us, and we could identify areas that might have carried old
injuries for many years, working hard to support normal function for all that time and now
causing stiffness as a result.
What to do about a mystery shoulder pain
That’s pretty amazing, and so were the results. Not every old injury causes pain later. Even
though the pains weren’t the same as the original ones, a careful assessment allowed us
to trace them back and treat them. Your body sometimes does an amazing job in adapting
for many years and only complains after a gradual buildup of stiffness many years later.
Dealing with mystery pain can be complex and you may wish to consult a health professional
in cases like these. However I would definitely encourage you to keep looking for answers. If
it’s bit complex, like these two cases, it often takes at least 2-4 visits to uncover the root
cause and establish a good treatment pathway.