Got Shoulder Pains?

texasmassageacademy October 2, 2021

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Shoulder pain is a complex issue that can stem from several different factors, but the most common are muscular injuries caused by stress or overuse. Massage can help with these issues in two ways: 1) By increasing blood flow it eases strained muscles and encourages healing, and 2) It helps release tension in the body which ultimately decreases pain.

Massage helps with general shoulder pain

Massage therapy, also known as bodywork or soft tissue therapy, helps people recover from many injuries and pain by soothing tense muscles. The general benefits of massage are the following:

• Decreased muscle fatigue

• Relaxation

• Improved circulation

• Reduced anxiety levels

Massage helps with general shoulder pain by decreasing the levels of pain a person experiences and by helping to keep muscles from tightening up. These two aspects will also help improve range of motion, which is especially useful for someone that may be experiencing shoulder pain.

The Importance of Movement(Opens in a new browser tab)

Shoulder anatomy and location of muscles

The shoulder is the most moveable joint in the human body and has a very wide range of motion. It can rotate, flex, and extend which makes it incredibly easy to strain muscles. There are four muscles that make up much of the bulk of your shoulder: Levator Scapulae (along your neck), Pectoralis Minor (in between and below your chest), Trapezius (from your head down to mid-back), and Deltoid (the lateral muscle near the top of your arm). These four provide both power and stability for everyday movements such as reaching out to grab something or typing on a keyboard.

Identify any signs or symptoms of muscle damage or strain

Many symptoms of shoulder strain can be easily recognized and include:

– Muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness in the upper body

– Painful movements such as reaching up above your head, or rotating your arm smoothly and comfortably all the way around

– A popping noise when moving your shoulder

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What are four common types of self-massage techniques?

There are many different techniques that you can use to massage yourself. These include effleurage (softly stroking with a flat hand), petrissage (kneading with a cupped hand), tapotement (rapid tapping), and vibration.

Effleurage is ideal for beginners because it’s slow and less painful. To perform this on yourself, you would apply long gentle strokes working from your neck down the side, down across the top of your shoulder, and then down your deltoids, be sure you get the front, side, and back of your deltoid.

Petrissage is great for working out knots in muscles. Petrissage is a kneading-like motion that can be performed with either one hand or two depending on the desired effect. This would usually be done in a rolling fashion, starting at the base of your neck and working your way up to your shoulders.

Tapotement is another form of massage that uses fast repetitive motions such as hitting (like you might see some people do on their legs after a long run). Although slightly more painful than effleurage, tapotement can feel very soothing once you get used to it and is often used for issues of chronic pain. To perform this on yourself use small circular motions and repeat for about 30-60 seconds at a time.

Vibration is an excellent tool for relieving muscle tension and improving circulation. You, again, can use either one or two hands for this. To begin with vibration you would hold your entire hand over the muscle group and move it up and down, or in a circular motion.

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How does massage therapy help people perform daily functions with a full range of motion?

These are some of the ways that massage therapy can make a difference when you are experiencing shoulder pain:

– Improved joint mobility

– Decreased pain levels for those suffering from chronic problems such as arthritis or tendonitis

– Reduced scar tissue formation around tendons and ligaments

– Increased speed of the healing process after surgery

Massage therapy helps with general shoulder pain by increasing blood flow, releasing tension, and easing strained muscles. Shoulder anatomy includes four major muscles that are commonly injured when the shoulders are overused or injured which makes it easy to strain them through simple motions like reaching up above your head or typing on a keyboard. There are several signs or symptoms of muscle damage or strain including muscle pain, tenderness, weakness, painful movements, and popping noises in the joint. Self-massage techniques can be easily performed using effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, and vibration techniques to ease pain quickly. Massage therapy also helps with daily functioning by improving joint mobility and lessening pain levels for chronic issues such as arthritis or tendonitis. This helps to reduce scar tissue formation around tendons and ligaments while increasing the speed of the healing process after surgery which can all contribute to less pain in the shoulders.

As you can see, there are many ways that massage therapy eases shoulder pain quickly and effectively. Now that you understand how this works better it may be time for an appointment with your favorite student at Texas Massage Academy! They would love to make you feel better.

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