Ruby Q. was a regular Neuromuscular Therapy patient in my metro-west Boston clinic for stress-related muscle pain in her neck and shoulders. Upper body tension is often the cause of pain in the forearm and hand when there is repetitive stress. (E.Pascarelli, MD) The connection between upper body tension and hand and arm pain is […]
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 […]
Active Isolated Stretching lengthens and loosens overused muscles so the blood can bring in nutrients, oxygen and healing cells and take away the waste products and chemicals that cause pain. Think of yourself as an athlete with your arms and follow the practice of pre-event stretching. Your muscles need blood to work! Hold your arm […]
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 […]
Shoulder pain often comes on suddenly with sharp shooting pain into the arm that severely limits upward motion. Chad had found our Neuromuscular Therapy Center on line when he was in the Boston area on business. He had called with neck and upper back pain that had seized up on one side, preventing head rotation. An […]
When you have pain in your arms and hands, it can be frightening. Knowledge is power. The more you know about your body the less anxious you will be. The more you understand where the pain is coming from, the more confident you will be talking to medical professionals. There are a lot of muscles in […]
Accompanying all poorly understood chronic pain conditions is a considerable amount of anxiety. Thinking catastrophically about what might happen to you is normal. Knowledge is power and action produces results. Learn all you can about your muscles and what you can do to help yourself. Then take action. Learn to treat your own muscles. It can […]