Massage Therapy for Shoulder Pain

Do you have Rotator Cuff or Impingement Syndrome of the shoulder?

The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons and muscles that converge around the shoulder joint at the top of the humerus, the upper arm bone above the elbow.

The rotator cuff muscles include:

• Supraspinatus
• Infraspinatus
• Teres Minor
• Subscapularis

Together, they form a ”cuff” that both holds your arm in place and allows it to move in different directions.

While your shoulder is one of your most mobile joints, it’s also somewhat weak. Too much stress can cause partial tears and swelling in the tendons of the rotator cuff.

Due to the function of these muscles, sports which involve a lot of shoulder rotation – for example, bowling in cricket, pitching in baseball, swimming, kayaking – often put the rotator cuff muscles under a lot of stress. Problems with the rotator cuff muscles can be classed into two categories – Tears of the tendons/muscles, and inflammation of structures in the joint.

Symptoms of Inflammation can be:

• Characteristic ache in the shoulder which feels like it is coming from “deep inside”
• Usually a gradual onset of pain, which “flares up” if using the arms over the head or out to the side
• Can sometimes lead to a chronic conditions if untreated

Symptoms of a rotator cuff tear include:

• Weakness and tenderness in the shoulder
• Sharp persistent pain
• Difficulty moving the shoulder, especially when trying to lift your arm above your head
• Snapping or crackling sounds when moving the shoulder
• Inability to sleep on the shoulder

Impingement syndrome is a common shoulder condition seen in aging adults. This condition, which is sometimes called Swimmer’s shoulder or Thrower’s Shoulder, is caused by the tendons of the rotator cuff becoming irritated and inflamed as they pass through a narrow bony space called the Sub acromial Space – so called because it is under the arch of the acromion.

This can lead to thickening of the tendon which may cause further problems because there is very little free space, so as the tendons become larger, they are impinged further by the structures of the shoulder joint and the muscles themselves.

When the pressure within the muscle increases, the blood flow is diminished, and the muscle tissue begins to fray much like a rope. Pain is felt by actions such as reaching up behind the back and reaching up overhead. Night pain resulting from this shoulder condition may result in sleep interruption.

Massage Therapy Can Help!

Massage Therapy

Sports Massage and Injury Specific Techniques performed by the skilled therapists at Advanced Alternatives Massage Therapy have proven to be effective by encouraging the reduction of edema in the area. Addressing Trigger Points and reducing pain referral patterns help to relieve the discomfort associated with soft tissue injury. Gentle realignment of the surrounding fascia by using Myofascial Release techniques (MFR) can help restore pain free range of motion.