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Comprehensive Care for Shoulder Pain and Rotator Cuff Injuries

Located in Riverbend Square, Edmonton, Alberta, Riverbend Chiropractic and Wellness specializes in diagnosing and treating shoulder pain and rotator cuff injuries.

Our dedicated team offers personalized care to help you regain function, reduce pain, and improve your quality of life.

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Elderly lady holding her shoulder due to chronic shoulder pain

Understanding and Managing Rotator Cuff Injuries and Shoulder Pain

Rotator cuff injuries, and shoulder pain can make even simple daily tasks next to impossible. That is how I felt when I injured my shoulder!

The shoulder is a complex joint that allows a wide range of motion, making it susceptible to injuries and pain. The rotator cuff, a group of muscles and tendons surrounding the shoulder joint, is crucial for shoulder stability and movement. Injuries to the rotator cuff can cause significant pain and limit your ability to perform everyday activities.

Feel confident again

Shoulder pain can make you feel hesitant to use your arm. We solve that for you, so you feel confident again.

Be active again

Rotator cuff injuries and shoulder pain can stop you dead in your tracks. We help you get active again!

Get a good night's sleep

If shoulder pain is keeping you up at night, we can help! You deserve a good night sleep. 

Common Causes of Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Pain


Here are some of the most common conditions we see in our office. Below we will discuss the following neck-related pain conditions.

1. Upper Cross Syndrome

2. Rotator Cuff Strains and Tears: Partial or complete tears of the rotator cuff tendons, often due to overuse, aging, or acute injury.

3. Shoulder Impingement: Compression of the rotator cuff tendons between the shoulder bones, leading to pain and inflammation.

4. Tendonitis and Tendinopathy:  Inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons, commonly caused by repetitive overhead activities.

5. Bursitis: Inflammation of the bursa (a fluid-filled sac) that cushions the shoulder joint.

6. Arthritis: Degenerative changes in the shoulder joint, causing pain and stiffness.

7. Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis): Stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint, often developing gradually and limiting motion.

woman with neck pain after a motor vehicle collision

Upper Crossed Syndrome Causing Neck Pain All Across Edmonton!


Upper Crossed Syndrome aka. "Quasimodo" aka. "Mom Posture", aka. "Text Neck" aka "poor posture" aka. "Slouching" is from a common muscle imbalance.

When the muscles in the front of your neck and middle of your upper back (between your shoulder blades) become lengthened and weak, and the muscles in your chest and upper neck shorten and become tight, you get upper crossed syndrome.

The symptoms of this problem include neck pain at the base of your neck and your shoulders. You can spot this problem from a mile away. The main physical causes of this condition are:

  • Desk job
  • Too much sitting
  • Driving long hours
  • Poor posture

If you are finding it near impossible to improve your posture, schedule an appointment today!

a senior woman sitting at the edge of her bed struggling with a headache and neck pain

Build Productive Habits To Stop Shoulder Pain

With the proper education (and actions), you can protect yourself from shoulder pain

Shoulder pain affects people of all ages, race, sex and occupations. One commonality for shoulder pain sufferers (especially chronic cases) is that they have poor posture sitting. Sometimes they sit all day long. This could be sitting at a desk, in a car or truck, or on the top of a small hill under a peach tree for some reason.

It gets worse when you combine this with a sedentary lifestyle. Poor sitting postures leads to a re-enforcement of what is called "Upper Crossed Syndrome". This is why it is crucial that you arrange your workstation to facilitate a proper posture as best as possible.

The best way to combat this problem is to prevent it before it starts. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, right?

If possible, minimize sitting for long periods of time and take frequent work breaks to take short walks around the office to reset your posture. Even simply standing up and walking around your desk every 30 minutes can help!

If shoulder pain has already started, our team can help get you: 1) Get rid of your shoulder pain and 2) teach you proper form and posture to prevent the shoulder pain from happening again in the future.

When you become more mindful of the positions that cause your shoulder pain, you can take action to stop it from getting to the point of pain. Our chiropractors and massage therapists are also trained in soft tissue techniques that will be able to relax your tight muscles, restore motion and reduce your pain levels.

There are self care methods that can be used to stop this problem from getting to the point of pain. Our chiropractors and massage therapists will show you some of the best rehabilitative exercise. Often times this will help  reverse any damage already done and prevent a progression of this condition.

The good news?

A shoulder that feels how a neck is supposed to feel! Loose, limber, great mobility, and letting you enjoy your day.

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Rotator Cuff Strains & Tears

Common symptoms of rotator cuff injuries include:

  • Shoulder Pain: Persistent pain, especially with overhead activities or lifting.
  • Weakness: Reduced strength in the shoulder, making it difficult to lift or carry objects.
  • Limited Range of Motion: Difficulty moving the shoulder through its full range of motion.
  • Night Pain: Increased pain at night, often disrupting sleep.
  • Swelling and Tenderness: Swelling and tenderness around the shoulder joint.

Our Approach to Treating Shoulder Pain and Rotator Cuff Injuries

At Riverbend Chiropractic and Wellness, we offer a comprehensive approach to treating shoulder pain and rotator cuff injuries. Our treatment plan includes:

  1. Holistic Health Evaluation TM: Conducting a thorough evaluation of your medical history, symptoms, and lifestyle factors to determine the cause of your shoulder pain. We look at the 'whole you', to determine the most effective plan of action.
  2. Diagnostic Imaging: SOMETIMES  advanced imaging techniques, such as X-rays and ultrasound are needed to assess the extent of the injury.
  3. Personalized Plan of Action: Developing a customized plan tailored to your specific needs and recovery goals.
  4. Hands On Therapy: Our chiropractors and massage therapists use various  hands-on techniques to reduce pain, improve mobility, and promote healing. This step is vital to improve your rotator cuff injury! 
  5. Therapeutic Exercises: Designing a specific shoulder exercise and strengthening program to improve flexibility and get stronger.
  6. Pain Management: Implementing various modalities, such as ice therapy, electrical stimulation, and Acupuncture to reduce your pain.
  7. Postural Education: Providing guidance on proper posture and body mechanics to prevent future injuries.
This is all apart of a comprehensive rehabilitation program that we utilize to help our patients with rotator cuff injuries recover as quickly as possible. By offering a structured rehabilitation program, we ensure our patients may have a full recovery and prevent recurrence of the injury.

If you are finding it near impossible to get rid of your headaches, schedule an appointment today!

The causes of shoulder pain and injuries are many. Here are a few...


Since there are so many different causes of shoulder pain, it is important to get a proper diagnosis so that you can better treat the cause. We will also need to take a look at your lifestyle habits. Often there are several contributing factors from lifestyle actives that contribute to shoulder pain.

For example, poor posture, your sleeping habits, and exercise habits can make or break someone resolving their shoulder pain. Luckily, we know those who get shoulder pain do very well with the right Plan of Action in place!

What Treatment Can Help With Shoulder Pain and Rotator Cuff Injruies?

  • Chiropractic Adjustments: Chiropractic adjustments, also known as spinal manipulation, involve gentle, targeted movements of the spine to realign the vertebrae and reduce pressure on the facet joints. By restoring proper alignment, chiropractic adjustments can help alleviate pain and improve mobility in the neck.
  • Soft Tissue Therapy: Soft tissue therapy techniques such as massage, myofascial release, and trigger point therapy can help relax tight muscles, improve circulation, and reduce inflammation in the neck and upper back. These therapies can complement chiropractic adjustments by addressing muscular imbalances and promoting overall relaxation and healing.
  • Therapeutic Exercise: Specific exercises and stretches targeting the muscles and ligaments surrounding the cervical spine can help improve strength, flexibility, and stability in the neck. Our chiropractors can prescribe customized exercise programs tailored to each patient's needs to support long-term recovery and prevent future injury.
  • Posture Correction: Poor posture can contribute to the development of cervical spine facet syndrome by placing excess strain on the neck and spine. Our chiropractors can provide guidance on proper posture and ergonomic modifications to help patients maintain optimal alignment and reduce the risk of exacerbating their symptoms.
  • Lifestyle Modifications: Making lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, practicing stress management techniques, and avoiding activities that aggravate neck pain can play a crucial role in managing cervical spine facet syndrome and promoting overall spinal health.
  • Shockwave: Radial shockwave therapy has been shown to be very effective at treating those stubborn rotator cuff and shoulder injuries. Tendonitis and tendonopathy conoditions don't stand a chance!
  • Acupuncture and IMS: Both Acupuncture and IMS have been found to be effective at treating all sorts of rotator cuff injuries and shoulder injuries. 


By combining these therapies, our chiropractors aims to provide comprehensive care for individuals suffering from neck pain. Our goal is to address the underlying causes of pain and dysfunction causing your shoulder pain. 

By restoring optimal spinal, scapular, and joint movement and function, and empowering patients to actively participate in their recovery provides long-term results. If you're experiencing shoulder pain, and would like some help to fix it, give us a call!


Bottom line - if you are tired of struggling with shoulder pain, our chiropractors and massage therapists can help!

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