Shoulder Pain Treatment Brisbane

Reviewed by Dr John White, Osteopath at Osteoworks. Last updated 1 November 2026.

Shoulder pain can make everything from reaching overhead to sleeping on your side difficult. At Osteoworks in Kangaroo Point, our osteopaths look at the shoulder together with your neck, upper back and shoulder blade, because pain often involves more than the joint itself.

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Common Causes of Shoulder Pain

Rotator cuff irritation

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and tendons that steady the shoulder. Overuse, a sudden strain or desk-related posture can irritate them, causing pain when you lift your arm out to the side or overhead.

Shoulder impingement

Pinching of tissue under the bony roof of the shoulder, often felt as a painful arc when raising the arm. It is commonly linked with shoulder blade control and upper back stiffness.

Frozen shoulder

Gradual stiffness and pain that limits movement in every direction, often worse at night. It tends to follow a slow course, and we focus on easing pain, maintaining movement and advising on activity. See difficulty lifting your shoulder.

Acromioclavicular (AC) joint pain

Pain at the top of the shoulder, common after a fall or contact sport, or from heavy lifting.

Pain referred from the neck

A stiff or irritated neck can send pain into the shoulder or arm. See our neck and shoulder pain page.

Instability and post-surgery rehab

If your shoulder feels loose, or you are recovering from injury or surgery, we help rebuild movement and strength in line with your surgeon’s or GP’s advice.

Why We Assess the Neck and Upper Back Too

The shoulder sits on the shoulder blade, which sits on the ribcage and upper spine. If those areas are stiff or weak, the shoulder can be overloaded. We assess the whole chain so that treatment does not only chase the sore spot.

How We Treat Shoulder Pain

• Soft-tissue work to ease muscle tension around the shoulder, neck and upper back
• Joint mobilisation of the shoulder, shoulder blade, ribs and spine
• Exercise to improve shoulder blade control and rotator cuff strength, including corrective exercise training where suitable
• Advice on workstation set-up, training load and sleeping positions

What You Can Do Now

• Keep the arm moving within comfort, not completely still
• Avoid repeated overhead movements that sharply increase pain
• Try a pillow supporting the arm when lying on your back or side
• Break up long periods at the computer (see ergonomic home office setup)

When to Seek Urgent Medical Care

• Chest pain, pressure or tightness, especially with breathlessness, sweating or pain spreading into the arm or jaw: call 000
• A visibly deformed shoulder or inability to move the arm after a fall
• A hot, red, swollen joint with fever
• Severe constant night pain that does not ease, or unexplained weight loss
• New weakness, numbness or tingling in the arm or hand

Shoulder Pain FAQs

Related Treatments

Neck and shoulder pain | Headache treatment | Sports injuries | Back pain

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