It is true that there are many reasons that can contribute to shoulder pain. Some causes are relatively serious and require the medical expertise of neurologists, surgeons and the like. This quick article pertains not to those causes of shoulder pain, but instead to the more common contributing cause of shoulder pain: musculoskeletal imbalance.
Musculoskeletal imbalance is a complicated way to say poor muscle balances. Most of our shoulder muscles work in pairs. In fact, most of the muscles of the body do as well. For example, for each muscle that helps you to raise your arm above your head to reach for a cup, there is another muscle that allows you to bring your arm down and lay it by your side. “Well that’s not right because gravity brings your arm down by itself” you might say. However, imagine yourself laying on your back doing a snow angel perhaps. When you bring your arms up and down, it is not gravity that assists you. The movement requires both opposing muscle groups of your shoulder.
Okay, so now we have established that there are pairs of muscles in our shoulder. Shoulder pain, then can result when those pairs are not balanced. When the pairs of muscles are not sharing the same stresses, one of the pairs can become overworked, under worked, overstretched or under stretched. This is most often what a massage therapist assesses during your session. It is also why follow-up care at home known as ‘self-care’ is so important. More to come on 'self-care' in another article.
So which muscles are often affected? Well, its my belief that the rotators of the shoulder are put under an irregularly large amount of stress. As I type this article, my shoulders are rotated forward, my head is slightly forward and I’m slouching. (Nobody’s perfect). Now I’m surely not the only one who sits in this posture during the day. In fact, there are several things we do on a daily basis that encourage this kind of posture. Driving, reading, watching TV and unfortunately, typing of surfing on the computer also contribute to this posture. All of these activities can create a situation where the shoulder muscles are inadequately distributing the stress of the activity.
The most important thing one can do to decrease shoulder pain is participate in a variety of activities throughout the day. The easiest way to do this is through exercise of course, but by simply standing up and walking around every 20-30 minutes while watching tv, or working at a desk you can help keep movement through the shoulder joints. As always, try to see a health care professional to get a true assessment of your needs and remember that pain isn’t normal. Your body may be trying to tell you something.
Happy New Year!
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