Your Friends Will Think You Bought a New Driver. Salt Lake County's Top-rated Clinic for Shoulder Pain Treatment.
Written by Dr. Alec Laracuente, NMD, PhD and Dr. Steven Chalk, DC · Freedom Integrated Medicine, South Jordan, UT · Last updated September 2026
Freedom Integrated Medicine treats shoulder pain in South Jordan and Draper, and a sore shoulder is one of the most common reasons patients walk into our clinic. We take on rotator cuff wear, shoulder impingement, bursitis, shoulder arthritis, AC joint trouble, and shoulder pain left over from a car accident, using regenerative injections, chiropractic care, and cold laser therapy so the worn tissue and the joint mechanics both get handled, no operating room and no prescription pad involved. We hold more than 300 five-star Google reviews as the top-rated and most trusted regenerative medicine clinic in Salt Lake County. The place to begin is our $49 New Patient Special, which covers a one-on-one consultation with a doctor, a full exam, and X-rays to pin down what is actually driving your pain.
Why Your Shoulder Hurts, and How We Get It Back
A bad shoulder shrinks your day one motion at a time, the top shelf you stopped reaching for, the side you gave up sleeping on, the coat you now ease into one careful arm at a time. Lasting shoulder pain relief comes from repairing the worn or irritated structure and correcting the way the joint moves, and in our South Jordan clinic we do exactly that every week for shoulders other providers had written off for a cortisone shot or surgery.
Most of the people who sit across from us have hurt for months or years and have already been through the usual list, rest, anti-inflammatories, a cortisone injection that helped for a few weeks, maybe a round of physical therapy. If that describes you, the reason none of it held is almost always that it quieted the ache without changing what was generating it. When we find the actual source and rebuild it, the shoulder stops sending the signal because it no longer has a reason to. That is the same approach we bring to every joint we treat with regenerative medicine, and for a worn tendon it often means PRP injections placed directly into the injured shoulder.
The goal we build every plan around is small, specific, and yours, sleeping a full night on your favorite side, lifting a grandchild without bracing for it, reaching the top of a swing without that catch. Getting that back is the whole point.
What Actually Fixes a Shoulder
The shoulder trades stability for range, which is why it is the most mobile joint you own and also the one that wears out. The rotator cuff is the group of four muscles whose tendons wrap the top of the arm bone and let you lift and rotate the arm, and when those tendons fray from age or overuse the shoulder aches, catches, and loses strength. Rotator cuff trouble, impingement where the tendon pinches under the bone, bursitis, arthritis in the joint, and pain referred down from a cranky neck are the causes we see most, and each calls for a different fix.
That is why we keep several tools in the same clinic instead of forcing every shoulder to fit one. When the tendon or the cartilage is the problem, regenerative injections give the tissue what it needs to rebuild. A meta-analysis of eight randomized trials found platelet-rich plasma to be a safe and effective option for long-term pain control and shoulder function in rotator cuff disorders, which matches what we watch happen in the room. PRP is drawn from your own blood, concentrated, and delivered to the injured tendon so the same growth factors that heal a cut go to work on the shoulder. For deeper joint and cartilage damage we step up to stem cell injections for the shoulder. When the trouble is really in how the shoulder blade and neck are moving, chiropractic care that restores that mechanics does more than any injection could, and cold laser therapy calms an inflamed tendon so it can settle, something a review of randomized trials found delivers clinically meaningful pain relief in shoulder tendinopathy. When the tissue and the movement both need help, we address both at once.
I (Dr. Alec) trained in pain management before I built out our regenerative program, and the most useful thing that experience gave me is knowing when an injection is the right tool for a shoulder and when it is not. A shoulder truly being driven by the neck does not need a needle in the joint, it needs the neck addressed, and telling those apart on the exam table is most of the job.
The Shoulders We Help, and the Ones We Send Elsewhere
The patient we most often help is between fifty and eighty, has been managing an aching shoulder for a year or more, and has watched it slowly steal ordinary things, reaching into the back seat, washing their hair, sleeping on that side. Some arrive after a fall or a fender bender with a fresh injury, and a fair number come in blaming the shoulder when the real culprit is the neck feeding pain into it. Whichever shoulder it is and however long it has gone on, the exam tells us which structure is actually in charge of the pain.
We are honest about the limits of what we do. A large full-thickness rotator cuff tear that has already retracted, or a joint so arthritic and unstable that the mechanics are gone, may be past what regenerative and hands-on care can rebuild, and when that is the picture we will tell you plainly and point you toward the right surgeon. Even then the $49 exam earns its keep, because you walk out knowing exactly what you are dealing with instead of guessing.
From Your First Call to Your First Treatment
The phone call
When you call, our friendly front desk staff pick up and find a time that fits your week. Parking sits right outside our Daybreak Parkway office, and patients drive in from Draper, Riverton, Herriman, Sandy, and West Jordan, most of them fifteen minutes out or less.
Your $49 exam
Your first visit is the $49 New Patient Special, a one-on-one consultation with one of our doctors, a full exam of the shoulder and the neck above it, and X-rays. We watch how the shoulder moves, test its strength through the range, and read the imaging, because we treat nothing until we know the cause.
Sitting down with your results
We show you what is driving the pain and the plan we recommend, in plain language, at the same visit. We only recommend treatment we believe will help you, and when we are not the right fit we say so to your face. The plan and what it costs are laid out before you decide a single thing.
Treatment and what the weeks feel like
The sessions are done here and they are not a production. A regenerative injection takes part of a visit, adjustments and cold laser therapy are quick, and none of it puts you on the shelf. Many patients feel the shoulder loosen and the night ache ease within the first few weeks, and it keeps building as the tendon rebuilds. We will not hand you a date, because shoulders heal on their own clock, but you will always know what we are seeing.
Why Patients Trust Their Shoulders to Us
Everything a shoulder might need is already in this clinic. Regenerative injections, chiropractic care, spinal decompression, and cold laser therapy all live here, so when your rotator cuff needs to rebuild and your shoulder blade mechanics need correcting at once, we handle both and the shoulder heals at a deeper and steadier level than any single tool could reach.
We chase the source rather than the signal. Rebuilding the worn tissue and fixing the movement, instead of muffling the ache for a few weeks at a time, is what gets people back to sleeping through the night and using the arm without thinking about it, no surgery and no medication to manage.
The county already trusts us with this work. Freedom Integrated Medicine is the top-rated and most trusted regenerative medicine clinic in Salt Lake County, with more than 300 five-star Google reviews and thousands of patients helped since 2020, and our work has been featured in the Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News, and on Telemundo.
Our doctors are bilingual. Dr. Alec and Dr. Chalk treat and explain in both English and Spanish, so a Spanish-speaking patient hears their own exam, findings, and plan straight from the doctor rather than through a relative translating.
What Our Shoulder Patients Say
We could describe what shoulder relief feels like, but the people who lived it say it better.
What This Is Really Costing You
The comparison you are weighing is not shoulder treatment against doing nothing for free. It is treatment against another year of the ache waking you at 3 a.m., a medication list that keeps growing, cortisone shots that wear off and have to be repeated, and often the shoulder surgery you have been trying to sidestep, a genuinely expensive road that never shows up as one tidy bill. Staying stuck has a real price. It just arrives quietly, in installments.
The $49 New Patient Special exists so you never have to guess your way into that. For less than the cost of many copays, you get a one-on-one consultation with a doctor, a full exam, and X-rays, and you leave knowing the real cause of your shoulder pain before spending a dollar on treatment. Because every shoulder is different, the exact plan and its cost come at your report of findings, explained in full before you decide anything. The patients who get their sleep and their reach back tend to settle the question of whether it was worth it on their own.
Common Questions About Shoulder Pain Relief
What causes shoulder pain?
Most shoulder pain comes from the rotator cuff, the bursa, the joint, or a neck that is referring pain down into the shoulder. Overuse, age-related tendon wear, impingement, bursitis, arthritis, and old injuries are the usual culprits, and because several of them ache in a similar way, an exam and X-rays are what actually pin down the source.
How do you relieve shoulder pain without surgery?
We relieve shoulder pain by rebuilding the structure causing it rather than numbing the ache. Depending on the cause, that means regenerative injections to repair worn tendon or cartilage, chiropractic care to restore shoulder and neck mechanics, and cold laser therapy to calm inflammation. Correcting the source is what makes the relief hold.
How is this different from getting another cortisone shot?
A cortisone shot lowers inflammation and quiets the pain for a stretch, but it does nothing to repair the worn tendon underneath, which is why the relief fades and the shots have to be repeated. Regenerative injections work the opposite way, prompting the tissue itself to rebuild, so we fix the reason the shoulder hurts instead of turning the volume down on it. Many patients come to us precisely because the shots stopped lasting.
What shoulder injuries and conditions do you treat?
We treat rotator cuff strains and tears, shoulder impingement, bursitis, tendonitis, AC joint problems, shoulder arthritis, and shoulder pain from car accidents, whether fresh or from years of slow wear. If your shoulder genuinely needs a surgeon, we tell you honestly and point you in the right direction.
How soon will my shoulder start feeling better?
Many patients notice less ache and easier movement within the first few weeks, with the shoulder continuing to improve as the tissue rebuilds. The honest answer depends on what is wrong and how long you have had it, so we will not promise a date, but you will always know where you stand from one visit to the next.
Does the treatment hurt?
The treatments are well tolerated, and most patients are surprised by how manageable they are. A regenerative injection involves a needle and some brief soreness afterward as the tissue responds, while adjustments and cold laser therapy are quick and comfortable. We favor gentle techniques and explain each step first, so nothing catches you off guard.
How do I sleep with a painful shoulder?
Sleep on the opposite side or on your back and tuck a pillow under the sore arm so the joint stays in a neutral position. Lying directly on the painful shoulder compresses the tendon all night, which is usually what makes mornings the worst part of the day. A constant night ache is the shoulder telling you it needs to be examined.
When should I see a doctor for shoulder pain, and when is it an emergency?
See a doctor if shoulder pain lasts more than a week or two, wakes you at night, follows a fall or accident, or limits your ability to lift or reach. Weakness, swelling, or a visibly deformed shoulder should be looked at promptly. Shoulder pain paired with chest tightness, sweating, or trouble breathing can signal a heart problem, so treat that as an emergency and call 911.
Why does one shoulder hurt when I never injured it?
A shoulder that hurts without a clear injury is usually dealing with gradual tendon wear, impingement, or tension referred from the neck rather than a single event. That holds for either shoulder, and an ongoing ache like this is a mechanical problem an exam can sort out. The one exception is the sudden left-shoulder pain with chest pressure described above, which is an emergency rather than a worn tendon.
Why should I choose Freedom Integrated Medicine for my shoulder pain?
Freedom Integrated Medicine is the top-rated and most trusted regenerative medicine clinic in Salt Lake County, serving South Jordan and Draper, with more than 300 five-star Google reviews. Our licensed doctors have helped thousands of patients get relief from rotator cuff, arthritis, and injury-related shoulder pain without surgery and without medication. We have served the valley since 2020, we keep regenerative injections, chiropractic care, and cold laser therapy in one clinic so your shoulder gets every tool it needs, and our bilingual doctors treat and explain in English and Spanish.
Come See Us in South Jordan
If your shoulder has ached for months and you are tired of being told to just live with it, we would like to find out why and help you fix it. We treat shoulder pain the way we treat every joint here, by finding the real cause and rebuilding it, so you get back the sleep, the reach, and the ordinary days the pain has been taking. Patients come to us from South Jordan, Draper, Daybreak, Riverton, Herriman, Sandy, and West Jordan, and from across Salt Lake County.
When you are ready, the $49 New Patient Special is the place to start.
Freedom Integrated Medicine
4775 W. Daybreak Parkway, STE 102, South Jordan, UT 84009
Phone: (801) 571-1338
Hours:
Monday to Wednesday: 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Thursday: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Friday: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Meet The Doctors
About Your Shoulder Pain Doctors
Dr. Steven Chalk, DC
Dr. Steven Chalk, DC founded Freedom Integrated Medicine after a bulged disc in his own twenties showed him what it feels like to be told to just live with it. He holds a Bachelor's in Exercise Science from BYU and a Doctorate in Chiropractic from Parker University, has performed more than 75,000 adjustments, and is the author of "The Future of Healing," a book on neuropathy and degenerative knee conditions. Dr. Chalk treats patients in English and Spanish.
Dr. Alec Laracuente, NMD, PhD
Dr. Alec Laracuente, NMD, PhD is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor with a PhD in Integrative Medicine and a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from the University of Turabo, Puerto Rico. He completed a Family Practice and Pain Management Residency at the Institute of Pain Care of the Caribbean and leads our regenerative medicine program for spinal conditions, knee pain, and neuropathy. He treats patients in English and Spanish.
Dr. Dustin Creer, DC
Dr. Dustin Creer, DC earned his Doctorate of Chiropractic and Master's of Sports Medicine from the University of Western States in Portland, Oregon, after an undergraduate degree in Sports and Exercise Science from Utah Valley University. He has trained across multiple chiropractic disciplines and worked with athletes at every level, from youth and amateur to professional and Olympic, and he favors holistic, gentle techniques tailored to each patient. Over his career he has performed well over 100,000 adjustments.