Deep Tissue Massage for Shoulder Injury

The shoulder is a problem area for many of our clients. Since it is an unstable joint, your shoulder is easily injured. It is called an unstable joint because the ball of the upper arm bone (humerus) is bigger than the shoulder socket. The instability of the shoulder joint, combined with the fact that your shoulder bears much of the weight in most fall-related injuries, means that shoulder injuries are a rather common problem.

An important part of long-term treatment and healing for shoulder injuries is deep tissue massage therapy.

Shoulder Injuries

There are many different types of shoulder injury. Some shoulder pain is caused by sudden injury (a fall or athletic injury), and some is caused over time, by issues like repetitive use, poor posture or arthritis.

Some common types of shoulder injury that may benefit from deep tissue massage therapy are:

· Shoulder instability

· Sprain / separation

· Rotator cuff tear

· Straining the shoulder from overuse

· Arthritis

What is Deep Tissue Massage?

Deep tissue massage is a form of massage therapy where the therapist uses deeper pressure, allowing them to reach and realign the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue.

After a shoulder injury, the body will form adhesions, which are similar to scar tissue. They form bands of harder tissue, cutting off normal blood flow and causing pain, inflammation, and limiting movements.

The massage therapist can treat your shoulder injury by using deep tissue massage techniques to break down the adhesions, restoring muscle health.

What Can I Expect from My Deep Tissue Shoulder Massage?

Your massage therapist will likely use their fingers, hands, arms and elbows during the massage, and may ask you to breathe deeply at times, when working on certain areas.

Most patients report some degree of discomfort from deep tissue massage. Applying ice to the area can help, and the pain will usually lasts less than 24 hours.

What Are Some Other Treatments that May Be Included in My Protocol?

In addition to deep tissue massage, your health care provider may wish to have your shoulder injury treated with the following measures:

· Applying ice

· Applying heat

· NSAIDs – non-steroidal anti-inflammatories

· Relative rest

· Compression

· Limiting arm movements – no lifting arms over head, etc.

· Stretching and exercising the shoulder and arm

· Cortisone injections

· Surgery, in severe cases

What is Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder is a somewhat rare result of shoulder injury, in which the patient’s arm movement is severely limited, and occasionally the patient is completely unable to move the affected arm.

This painful condition develops slowly, each of the three stages sometimes lasting several months, and begins with inflammation. Over-compensating for the inflammation (“babying” the sore arm) will often make frozen shoulder more likely to occur, due to stiffness from lack of using the joint.

The three stages of frozen shoulder are:

· The painful stage – inflammation sets into the shoulder, causing stiffness, and a reduced desire to use the joint.

· The frozen stage – inflammation damages the tissue in the shoulder, causing adhesions to form, actually limiting motion. Pain will often decrease, but range of motion decreases greatly as well.

· The thawing stage – this refers to the time it takes to restore mobility to a frozen shoulder. It is often the longest stage.

Proper treatment of a shoulder injury with deep tissue massage, accompanied by other methods mentioned here can lower your risk of developing frozen shoulder by healing the tissues as adhesions form.