11/15/2023
It happens to most at some point…you’re feeling good about your health, completing a variety of tasks as you usually do. Then one day you wake up or perform the last few fatiguing reps of that shoulder press in the gym during your last set like I did just months ago. You start to feel what seems like a strain, but you think nothing of it.
Although you begin feeling pain, you insist on completing your job as usual, or your last set. You’re in groove, you feel the pump and want to finish as much as you can manage, or finish the job you promised a client. You still need to walk your dog that always tugs on the leash with excitement..or even finish that report you need to type.
So you push through it. But now the pain is worse, and now you simply can’t continue at all, or continue without modifying the movement.
Understanding shoulder pain means understanding the anatomy of muscle that surrounds or attaches to the shoulder blade/head of the upper arm bone (humerus). Knowing which muscle(s) your pain involves is half the battle in troubleshooting the issue.
For example, pitching a baseball repetitively at a high velocity will tire out medial rotators of the shoulder like the Teres Major, Latissimus Dorsi and/or Subscapularis.
A weight lifter or powerlifter in the gym may be performing a Military Shoulder Press, utilizing the Supraspinatus, Deltoids and/or Infraspinatus muscle groups.
Seemingly harmless positions like sitting at your work desk on the computer can habitually tighten the Pectoralis muscle, and lengthen/weaken the Rhomboids, creating pain either around the inside of the shoulder blade or in the front of your shoulder. This position infamously shortens chest muscle, conversely stretching the Rhomboids.
There are 6 different movements your shoulders are capable of, being flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, internal rotation, and external rotation. It’s a great idea to learn how to strengthen or stretch any of them as needed for overall health, or as part of a rehabilitation plan. For example, an effective stretch for the Teres Minor and the Infraspinatus(lateral rotators) would be placing one arm behind your back to hold a door k**b, then deepen the stretch by moving away from the door, while still holding the door k**b.
This places your shoulder into internal rotation and stretches the aforementioned external rotators. In other words, you place a muscle into a stretch by putting it into the opposite motion of its main action.
Always involve conscious movement and/or diaphragmatic breathing to allow for maximum release or blood circulation in each muscle.
Another important factor in comprehending your pain is understanding that not all pain originates where it is felt. This means you could feel pain in a particular muscle, yet the tension or Trigger Point creating it originates distant from the affected area. Trigger Points are small, taut bands of tissue located deep within a muscle’s belly that prevent the flow of nutrients, water, and oxygen. They elicit tenderness upon touch and often send pain into the areas you feel pain.
It’s possible to have multiple Trigger Points contributing to your pain, increasing your pain to excruciating levels and even lead to misdiagnosis of other conditions like Arthritis or Bursitis…sometimes resulting in needless surgeries due to the pain being simply intolerable. Imagine receiving surgery for what was diagnosed as Frozen Shoulder, when you in fact could have resolved the tension and trigger points that sent pain to your shoulder.
Decreasing Trigger Points can be accomplished by the hands of a Massage Therapist in a treatment plan, as well as at home with specific self-massage. When the appropriate spots are located, they’re worked on until they’re no longer tender to touch.
One must also consider the habits or activities in their lifestyle that contribute to the pain. Minimizing or curbing the circumstances that contribute to the pain, and replacing them with those that heal add tons of effectiveness to your recovery plan.
For example, create alarms on your phone to remind you to sit up and bring your shoulders back. As Massage Therapist, I also need to position myself as to not place a strain on my low back. It can be difficult to stay aware, however, but the benefits are proven in how you feel as your pain diminishes.
Cellular recovery takes place while were awake, but doubles while we’re asleep. Most of our rejuvenation occurs during the REM stage of sleep (a stage the average individual should achieve 2x/night).
Great sleep allows your immune system to recycle waste tissue faster, and more efficiently. It’s important to get 8-9 hours nightly to wake feeling fully rested.
Adequate nutrition, and supplemental or herbal additions can also assist in healing via immune boosting properties, reducing inflammation, or reducing bruising. Nutrients such a vitamin C or Echinacea are widely used when it comes to immune support and are ones I use to address issues of my own.
The prognosis for healing is increasingly positive the more each of these aspects are adhered to. In fact, they can be the path towards pre-injury condition. Personally, I’ve experienced accelerated healing for many knicks and knacks I’ve had in body throughout my travels. One can feel their conditions improve within several days if corrective circumstances are maintained consistently on a daily basis.
I also know just how it can feel to not be able to move freely, or experience debilitating pain in the shoulder.
Thankfully, becoming a health practitioner has graced me with the knowledge I need to overcome my own pain, and guide others through the recovery of theirs.
Send me a message to find out how you heal from your pain, or schedule a massage treatment today !
Andrae Satterswaite
RMT, Personal Trainer
