Can you brush your hair without pain in your shoulder? Put your seat belt on pain free? Dog pose pain free? Sleep on your side? Hang the washing? If you answered “no” to any of these questions please read this post.
One of the most common issues among my clients is shoulder pain or limited range of movement of the shoulder joint or both. In my opinion the shoulder joint is one of the most complex joints of the human body!
The shoulder joint is made up of 3 bones, the humerus; clavicle and scapula and where these bones articulate creates four separate joints - glenohumeral; acromioclavicular; sternoclavicular; and scapulothoracic joints. To add to the intricacy of this joint, there are more than 20 muscles that enable it to adduct, abduct, medial rotate and externally rotate.
Most commonly people find that their range of movement is limited as the arm is raised to around shoulder height. This is because when the arm goes from that point to overhead it is at it’s most unstable and if you combine that motion with constant repetitions or load bearing activities it increases the risk of injury in some people.
Some common problems with the shoulder that can cause significant pain are: bursitis, supraspinatus tendonitis, brachialis tendonitits
A variety of factors such as your own unique posture, daily activities and your history of injuries as well as special range of motion/pain testing – will determine which treatment techniques your massage therapist should use. Massage absolutely can help reduce pain, increase range of movement and the worse case scenario is that it may just help you determine further investigation is required. Please don’t live with pain – the longer you live with it, the harder it is to repair. Start today. Book a remedial massage. I’m here to help.