In my experience of dealing with shoulder pain that will just not go away, very often working directly on the shoulder does not change much. To be fair, patients usually come to osteopaths after going through all other modalities first, in modern times, that is just how it is. Many people with shoulder pain just need rest, others just need slight strengthening of the region, but for the patients who do not get any relief from these scenarios, working away from the shoulder is usually the best move.
Our bodies are very adaptive from part to part. Muscles around the shoulders and the neck are much smaller and weaker than muscles around the hips and the low back. If there are issues in the lower limbs and the low back, very often the muscles around the shoulder girdles, and the neck will stay contracted or short to maintain a more symmetric structure. For example, an externally rotated right hip will cause a person to constantly walk to the right slightly. The body usually responds by slightly bending to the right and rotating to the left in the upper part of the spine to maintain walking straight. To perform these actions in the upper part of the spine, muscles around the shoulder girdles (Pectorals, traps) may constantly be firing to maintain a straight walking pattern.
Although these muscles can handle this extra burden, if they are constantly performing this extra task, issues around the neck and shoulders will appear. The constant pulling of the shoulder girdle in one direction can cause issues with the blood flow and nerves moving smoothly throughout the region. Whenever blood vessels and nerves are being hindered, healing in the body does not occur.
Fixing the hip region to perform better, will allow the muscles in the shoulder girdle to relax, since it will not have to constantly be fighting the body from turning slightly to the right. This is one of many examples of how fixing away from the body part in pain, can lead to pain relief.
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Great article on shoulder pain HERE.