These 5 stretches help open and balance the shoulder girdle, decrease rotator cuff pain and increase range of motion for athletic pursuits. Doorway stretch: Stand in a doorway with one foot straddling the threshold and your hands on the door jamb, elbows at your side. Shift your weight onto the forward foot until you feel […]
The first treatment of rotator cuff pain in the case of Ben B. targeted five muscle groups and treated them with Neuromuscular Therapy techniques. First, the four rotator cuff muscles needed to be treated to loosen up the shoulder joint. This is usually the heart of the problem. When they hold the top of the […]
As a Neuromuscular Therapist, how do I think about these rotator cuff and shoulder pains? The shoulder has only one small joint holding it to the skeleton at the inside edge of the collar bone where it connects to the breastbone (sternoclavicular joint). The stability of the shoulder depends on strong ligaments and on balance […]
A fit and trim 58 year old man came in to my Neuromuscular Therapy center outside of Boston because his tennis game was suffering! Pain and restricted range of motion in his shoulder were slowing him down. He was told by a teammate that therapy for his muscles might help. The pain in Ben’s upper […]
As a Neuromuscular Therapist, how do I think about chronic headache pain? If medical reasons for headaches have been ruled out, the cause is probably muscular Trigger Points. Examining the muscles in the neck and shoulders usually turns up at least one cause. But finding unhealthy muscles with Trigger Points is only targeting the symptoms. […]
In the case of Melinda W., I found a scoliosis and lower limb length inequality (LLLI) that were tilting her shoulders, causing tension in the jaw (TMJ) and neck musculature and giving her chronic headaches. I recommended trying a heel lift to level her out, and she scheduled a TMJ evaluation at a major Boston […]
Look for a daypack with an internal frame. Do a search on Amazon for an “Internal Frame Backpacks.” Check models like the Kelty Redwing series or find one on wheels if your teenager isn’t too humiliated. Using an internal frame with a waist strap makes the pack sit on your hips instead of putting pressure […]
1. Doorway stretch low position: Place your hands flat on both sides of a doorway with your elbows tucked in at waist level. Exhale and step through the doorway with one leg as you squeeze your “wings” together. Keep squeezing and stretching for two seconds, then rock back onto your other leg to release the […]
In the case of Chad S., treatment for acute shoulder pain at my metro-west Boston clinic included Neuromuscular Therapy for the shoulder and arm muscles plus Active Isolated Stretching. He was instructed to ice and was given stretches to do at home and at work. Keeping impingement of the supraspinatus tendon and Trigger Point referred pain in mind, […]
In the case of Chad S., his shoulder pain pattern sounded to me like an impingement of the supraspinatus tendon caused by tight rotator cuff muscles combined with Trigger Points from those muscles. Impingement often has a throbbing or stabbing sensation with movement. Trigger Points are strong from all of the rotator cuff muscles, radiating into many […]