Stress at the juncture of the cervical spine with the thoracic region, at the lower neck, may cause compression between the parts of the vertebrae that touch each other and the neighboring soft tissues.
The vertebral parts that touch are called the facets. Here the compression causes a “jamming” of the bone areas together. The adjacent soft tissues become involved, and the result is similar to a clenched fist.
This causes pain to be referred out into the shoulder, and it can be persistent, usually needing precise intervention to resolve.
Most often the patient presents with complaints of a shoulder problem. However, the real cause of the problem is not in the shoulder at all, but in the neck.
I see this problem often in my office. Specific, precise adjustments with the Activator instrument release the compression and bring patients relief.
