Why Acute Shoulder Pain Isn’t Always a Shoulder Problem

Can an acute injury, like a sudden shoulder subluxation, still have visceral or neural influences worth treating? In this episode, I unpack why even the most straightforward orthopedic cases often have deeper layers that shape pain, recovery, and movement quality.

I share a case of a collegiate softball athlete whose chronic subluxations suddenly flared after a rough bout of COVID and why her lack of progress with rehab made perfect sense once I assessed her through a whole-organism lens view. You’ll hear how lung restrictions, altered thoracic mobility, and neural tension were driving poor scapular mechanics that her strengthening program could never overcome. A few targeted treatments changed her symptoms instantly and shifted her entire rehab trajectory.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why acute pain presentations often include visceral and CNS influences, even when trauma is obvious

• How post-infection thoracic mobility changes can alter scapular mechanics and create instability patterns

• How to differentiate true tissue instability from altered neural output

• Practical ways to influence supraclavicular, phrenic, and brachial plexus input when local loading isn’t tolerated

This episode will help you sharpen your lens for the cases that look simple on the surface but demand deeper, more connected reasoning underneath.

Resources & Links Mentioned In This Episode:
Episode 16: Why The Shoulder Comes Last
Episode 69: Why Your Shoulder Treatments Might Not Be Enough
Change your approach to treating shoulder pain and dysfunction with my course - Never Treat The Shoulder First
Learn the LTAP® In-Person in one of my upcoming courses

Considering the viscera as a source of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction is a great way to ensure a more true whole body approach to care, however it can be a bit overwhelming on where to start, which is exactly why I created the Visceral Referral Cheat Sheet. This FREE download will help you to learn the most common visceral referral patterns affecting the musculoskeletal system. Download it at www.unrealresultspod.com

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