Shoulder and Spine

Shoulder Impingement is a common cause of shoulder pain. It occurs when there is impingement of tendons or bursa in the shoulder from bones of the shoulder.

Causes of shoulder impingement may be any overhead activity of the shoulder, especially repeated activity.

Pain may include inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons, weakness of shoulder muscles, difficulty reaching up behind the back, or pain with overhead use of the arm.

A.M.I.T. ® Explanation: This is a severe and chronically painful condition in which the patient is unable to move their shoulder and arm past 90 degrees. It can last three months or longer and then completely go away. Some patients try surgery as a last resort yielding varying degrees of success. Our clinical research suggests this condition is caused by a number of factors. Muscle inhibition of the shoulder due to multiple injuries lead to a major functional imbalance, causing the muscles to become tight and painful when activated. The body restricts the motion to protect itself. Another common factor is extension and restriction in the motion of the base of the skull on the spine causing stress on the Vagus and Spinal Accessory nerve. These factors can be corrected using the A.M.I.T. ® methods.

Biciptial Tendonitis is an inflammation of one of the tendons that attach the muscle (biceps) on the front of the upper arm bone (humerus) to the shoulder joint. The inflammation is usually along the groove where the tendon passes over the humerus to attach above the shoulder.

Causes may include overuse in throwing motions, inflammatory conditions, infections, or injury.

Pain may include: shoulder pain down the front of the arm, or tenderness where bicep meets the shoulder.

A.M.I.T. ® Explanation: The tendon of the long head of the biceps runs through a groove at the top part of the shoulder. A strong tissue holds this tendon in the grove, allowing for smooth gliding of the tendon when the arm is moved. This tendon may become inflamed leading to bicipital tendonitis; however, the primary cause of this condition is inhibition and inflammation of the attachments of muscles connecting close to this groove. The pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major, teres minor, subscapularis, and supraspinatus can all be involved. In addition, pain can also be coming from a referral from the cervical spine. Once the source of the pain is established, the condition can be correct using the A.M.I.T. ® method.

Frozen shoulder is characterized by stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint. One may experience difficulty lifting the arm above 45 degrees.

Causes may include: thickening of connective tissue making up the shoulder joint, tightening of connective tissue, flexion restriction of the head on the spine, injury to multiple shoulder support muscles, or damage to connective tissue. Patients may wake up one morning and find they cannot move their shoulder.

Pain associated may develop in stages: painful stage, frozen stage, or thawing stage. For some, the pain worsens at night.

A.M.I.T. ® Explanation: This is a severe and chronically painful condition in which the patient is unable to move their shoulder and arm past 45 degrees. Our clinical research suggests this condition is caused by a number of factors. Muscle inhibition of the shoulder due to multiple injuries lead to a major functional imbalance, causing the muscles to become tight and painful when activated. The body restricts the motion to protect itself. Another common finding is extension and restriction in the motion of the base of the skull on the spine. This is caused when the small suboccipital muscles are inhibited due to upper neck trauma.

A herniated disk refers to a problem with one of the cushions (disks) between the individual bones (vertebrae) stacking to make up the spine. A spinal disk is like a jelly donut, a softer center within a tough exterior. Sometimes called a “slipped” or “ruptured disk”, a herniated disk occurs when some of the softer “jelly” pushes through a crack in the tougher exterior.

Causes may include work or sports-related, stress, age-related wear and tear (disk degeneration), misuse, or compensation of muscle groups to perform an activity.

Pain may include: pain radiating from the low back into the gluteal area into the leg and foot, numbness or tingling, weakness, muscle loss, or compensation.

A.M.I.T. ® Explanation: Multiple back injuries, sitting for long periods of time, lack of exercises, chronic inflammation, muscle inhibition, and many more Although a disc may be herniated, it does not mean it is the source of pain. The severity of the herniations will determine the degree of pain and dysfunction, and whether surgery is needed. Most disc herniations can be managed successfully with the A.M.I.T. ® method.

Sciatica refers to pain radiating along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve branches from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down each leg. Typically, sciatica affects one side of the body.

Sciatica is caused by the nerve becomes pinched, usually by a herniated disk in the spine or bone spur (bone overgrowth) in the vertebrae. On rare occasions, the nerve may be compressed by a tumor or damaged by a disease, like diabetes.

Pain may include: discomfort along nerve path, mild ache, a sharp or burning sensation, numbness, tingling, muscle weakness in affected leg or foot, or pain in one part of the leg numbness in another.

A.M.I.T. ® T Explanation: This is a condition in which a group of nerves coming off the lower back and sacrum merges to form a large nerve, called the sciatic nerve. When inflamed, the sciatic nerve can cause pain deep to the buttock, hamstring, knee, lower leg, or foot. The root cause is found in the lower back and deep gluteal area. The nerve can be irritated by a bulging disc or problems with the piriformis muscle. It can be aggravated by sitting for long periods of time on a wallet. Correction includes spinal manipulation, muscle reactivation, exercises, and frequent decompression.

Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine occurring most often during the growth spurt right before puberty. Most cases of scoliosis are mild.

Scoliosis may be caused by birth defects affecting the development of spinal bones, neuromuscular conditions like “cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy”, or injuries and infections of the spine.

Symptoms may include: uneven shoulders, one shoulder blade appearing more prominent than the other, uneven waist, or difficulty breathing.

A.M.I.T. ® Explanation: Scoliosis can be caused by a congenital wedging of a vertebral body making the spine laterally bend. This is called functional scoliosis and there is not a cure. Scoliosis may also be caused by a short leg or muscle inhibition. If related to a short leg, a heal lift will correct the problem. If it is related to functional muscle inhibition, the A.M.I.T. ® method will allow the spine to balance out.