Chiropractic care can fix more than back pain! Shoulder, Arm, Elbow, Wrist, Hand and Chiropractic
- posted: Sep. 29, 2025
Shoulder, Arm, Elbow, Wrist, Hand and Chiropractic
A report on the scientific literature
When most people think of chiropractic care, they immediately picture the spine. Chiropractors are “back doctors” is a common misconception. The truth is that doctors of chiropractic are trained to look at the whole person, not just the spine. The neurology inside and around the spinal column is so important that it is the foundation of chiropractic philosophy, but the truth is, the entire body is controlled by the nervous system.
In the upper limbs for example, there are numerous joints, muscle and ligaments that influence posture, our ability to work and enjoy our life. Sometimes the issue is not in the spine, but in one of the arms or legs. Chiropractic doctors are trained in the anatomy of the human body and actually have more anatomy instruction than their medical counterparts. It is the foundation of what we do. A recent study was published that looked at all of the research related to chiropractic treatment of upper limb conditions. This is important because it gives a single source to study all the research that has been published in the past. In this case since 1982!
The diagnosis and treatment of upper limb disorders is not only a part of the core curriculum of chiropractic education, but is a major part of post-graduate courses on orthopedics and neurology. When it comes to non-surgical care for the upper limbs, chiropractic is aligned perfectly to help restore pain free movement and increase strength all while maintaining the integrity of the chiropractic philosophy. Did you know that 17.1% of all presenting complaints to the chiropractic office are made up of peripheral (arm or leg) conditions with 75% of all chiropractors including adjustments to the non-spinal joints of the body?
The following chart will help you to understand which conditions may respond well to chiropractic. In conditions where there is injury to the muscle or ligament, doctors of chiropractic are trained to use soft tissue and rehabilitative techniques.
Condition | Responded to Chiropractic | Research Paper and Date |
Shoulder Impingement Syndrome | YES | Pribicevic and Pollard 2005 Gleberzon 2005 Pribicevic and Pollard 2004 Smith 2000 Williams and Brockhohn 1994 Shrode 1994 Plezbert and Nicholson 1994 Kampschroder et al 1990 |
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome | YES | Rimbey 2005 Vernon 1982 |
Elbow Pain | YES | Konczak 2005 Coppieters et al 2004 Annis 2003 Kaufman 2000 Tchoryk 2000 Lawrence and Humphery 1997 Greenly and Bergmann 1990 Woo 1988 |
Frozen Shoulder Syndrome | YES | Valli 2004 Donahue et al 2003 Kazemi 2000 Harmeyer 1995 Ferguson 1995 Polkinghorn 1995 Feeley 1992
|
Separated Shoulder | YES | Kiner 2004 Stoddard and Johnson 2000 |
Swimmer’s Shoulder | YES | Kurtz 2004 |
Shoulder Instability | YES | Moreau and Moreau 2001 |
Rotator Cuff Tear | YES | Kazemi 1999 Buchberger 1993
|
Shoulder Tendonitis | YES | Gimblett et al 1999 Nia 1994
|
Scapular Winging | YES | Horrigan et al 1994
|
Chronic Bursitis | YES | Hammer 1993 Volstad 1983
|
Wrist Pain | YES | DeSantis 2004 Russell 2003 McDermott 2003
|
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome | YES | Davis 2004 Brunarski et al 2004 Pringle et al 2003 Brown et al 1999 Petruska 1997 Buchberger et al 1996 Valente and Gibson 1994 Mariano et al 1991 |
If you are experiencing problems with your shoulders, elbows, wrist or hands it may be time to sit and discuss your situation with a doctor of chiropractic. The conservative and hands on approach may just be what you need.
