Shoulders

The shoulders are especially prone to chronic pain and reduced function.

Woman in a black dress standing while a man sitting examines her arm

Peripheral Nerve Specialists

The joint is the most flexible in the body, with an extensive range of motion when functioning correctly. Unfortunately, it is susceptible to injury, stress, ongoing pain, and nerve conditions affecting mobility. Our specialists at The Atlas Institute Peripheral Nerve Care can diagnose and treat nerve-related shoulder pain.

What are the Symptoms?

The symptoms of nerve injury, damage, inflammation, or other problem can appear in many forms of pain, discomfort, or lack of mobility, including:

Burning pain
Stinging pain
Tingling
Shoulder instability
Tendon inflammation
Nerve inflammation
Pinched or compressed nerves
Brachial neuritis
Axillary nerve disorder
Bursitis wound complications
Tendonitis

Shoulder Pain and Nerve Conditions

A range of nerve-specific conditions is associated with severe or debilitating shoulder pain, including:

Brachial neuritis: This form of peripheral neuropathy affects the chest, shoulder, arm, and hand. It generally comes with symptoms of sharp pain followed by weakness or numbness.
Brachial plexus neuropathy: This nerve condition can occur at birth or an injury related to stretching or inflammatory conditions or may develop without a known cause.
Brachial plexus injury: An injury to the network of nerves traveling from the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm, and hand (brachial plexus) can lead to paralysis, numbness, reduced sensation, pain, or a limp arm that does not function normally.
Axillary nerve dysfunction: The axillary nerve controls the deltoid muscles and skin at the shoulder. This nerve can be damaged by a direct injury, long-term pressure on the nerve, dislocated shoulder, nerve inflammation, a fracture, or pressure by a cast or splint.
Parsonage-Turner syndrome: This is a rare syndrome that occurs suddenly, characterized by shoulder pain that quickly advances to a severe and intense level of shoulder pain, followed by weakness.
Rotator cuff nerve damage: An injury to the rotator cuff can put pressure on the nerves that pass through the shoulder structure. The injury may be called shoulder impingement or rotator cuff impingement. The injury can lead to numbness or sharp, shooting pains traveling to the arm or hand.
Dorsal scapular nerve entrapment or damage: The dorsal scapular nerve is one branch of the brachial plexus that activates the three muscles attached to the shoulder blade in the neck and shoulder region. Dorsal scapular nerve entrapment (DSN) is a condition that leads to pain and stiffness, limited motion, tightness, weakness, and radiating pain.

Treatments for Shoulder Nerve Dysfunction and Pain

At The Atlas Institute, we offer a range of the most advanced treatments for shoulder nerve dysfunction and pain. The first step is to correctly diagnose the source of pain. Our practice is a state-of-the-art nerve center equipped with next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic technology. We deliver both nonoperative and operative treatment methods, including:

Joint denervation: This procedure involves incisions placed on various nerves sending pain signals to the shoulder
Neurolysis: A treatment to free a trapped nerve
Neuroma excision: The surgical removal of abnormal nerve tissue growth
Nerve grafts: The grafting of nerve tissue to create a pathway for regeneration
Nerve repair: Repairing a shoulder nerve damaged by injury or impact
Nerve transfers: A donor nerve is transferred to a damaged nerve
Trigger point injections: A pain management treatment involving injections to resolve chronic pain
Medications: Muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants, pain medications, topical treatments, anti-inflammatories, steroid
TMR: Targeted muscle reinnervation to stimulate nerve regeneration after an injury

Why Choose the Atlas Institute for Shoulder Nerve Pain?

Our providers at the Atlas Institute are down-to-earth and focused on diagnosing and treating all types of nerve-specific shoulder pain. We offer advanced techniques to bring real-world relief to patients who are living with chronic shoulder pain, nerve damage, or dysfunction. We understand that the true significance of the pain or dysfunction might not be recognized or even believed by other providers as it may not be a testable symptom. Typically, medication is prescribed, but it may not provide relief or come with unhealthful side effects. With an accurate diagnosis and directed treatment plan, shoulder pain or dysfunction can be decreased or resolved altogether. Our comprehensive range of techniques makes our practice unique and can include nonoperative treatments, nerve decompressions, to advanced nerve surgical techniques. We offer a full spectrum of treatments for nerve maladies and have extensive experience in successfully treating shoulder pain.