As we age, pain and aches become a part of our daily life. This includes all forms of pain such as shoulder pain. The sad part about having an ache or pain in a shoulder area is that you can hardly do anything about it yourself. It is a hard-to-reach area after all. Furthermore, depending on the severity of the pain, it can render your entire hand immobile. Therefore, it is extremely important to take care of shoulder pain immediately. The question here is- what can you do?
In this blog, we provide you with a therapist’s guide to relief and recovery from shoulder pain.
Common Causes of Shoulder Pain
The specific cause of shoulder pain varies depending on your circumstances. However, we can provide you with four primary causes of this pain. They include follows:
Poor Posture
One of the most common causes of shoulder pain in modern times is poor posture. It is rather tough to maintain proper posture when focusing on work or studies the entire day. However, having improper posture can very well lead to shoulder aches. This form of ache is dull but consistent. Sometimes, it can even result in headaches and numbness/tingling sensation in the entire arms.
Overuse
If you are involved in physical activities that involve shoulder movement, you can feel shoulder pain related to overuse. Unlike the previous cause, the pain caused by overuse can manifest in multiple ways. Some of the ways in which shoulder pain is caused by overuse manifests include:
- Consistent dull pain around joints or surrounding muscles
- Sharp short pain during specific movements
- Muscle soreness
- Swelling or inflammation around the area
- Difficulty moving shoulder through its full motion range
- Difficulty carrying or lifting objects.
Needless to say, this form of pain is a bit more severe than the one caused by overuse and can deeply impact everyday life.
Injuries
If you have ever been involved in an activity or an accident that has injured your shoulder area, then it can result in shoulder pain. The injury can be anything from the tearing of muscles to broken bones. Regardless of the type of injury, the pain may return. The pain resulting from injuries is typically sharp, and sudden. Furthermore, you may also have swelling and bruising around the area along with a limited range of motions. There may also be some form of deformity around the area along with a clicking and popping sensation.
Ageing
Shoulder pain in old age can arise from various factors related to ageing and degenerative changes in the shoulder joint. The older you get, the more likelihood of shoulder pain. In this form of ache, you have a consistent dull ache. You may also have a limited range of motion, and pain even when you are not doing anything. There can also be discomfort during your sleep or when you enter cold areas. You can also feel a noticeable weakness in the shoulder such as a cracking, popping, or grinding within the joint.
These are some of the key causes of shoulder pain and aches. Do note that if you are injured in the shoulder area, you should contact a physician immediately. As for the rest of the causes, you can reduce the symptoms and gain deep relief through various forms of massage techniques.
Massage Techniques for Shoulder Pain Relief
Depending on the specifics of your pain, the massage technique can be customised. However, four key types of massage therapy are ideal for shoulder pain. These massage techniques include:
Remedial Massage
Remedial massage involves the systematic assessment and treatment of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissues of the body to assist in rehabilitation, pain, and injury management. There are many techniques used in remedial massage.
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue massage is a form of massage that targets the deeper layer of muscles and connective tissues. This form of massage is slow and has deliberate long strokes with a slightly higher pressure when compared to remedial massage.
Sports Massage
Sports massage is a specialised form of massage therapy that is designed to prevent and treat injuries associated with sports. Needless to say, it works for general injuries as well. That said, you need to treat the core of your injury before starting sports massage therapy. Once the injury is healed, you can use sports massage to quicken the recovery process.
Active functional Release
Active Functional Release (AFR) is a manual therapy technique designed to break down scar tissue and adhesions in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It combines specific movements with applied pressure to improve tissue mobility and function.
Conclusion
As we grow older, we can face several forms of physical problems. One such problem is shoulder pain. However, shoulder pain is not just limited to ageing as it can occur from poor posture, overuse, and injuries. The good news here is that you can easily alleviate most of the pain through massage therapies such as remedial massage, deep tissue massage, and sports massage.
In this blog, we discussed some of the core causes of shoulder pain and massage therapies to alleviate the pain. We hope you found this massage therapist’s guide to relief and recovery from shoulder pain helpful. If you want to know further about various forms of massage and their application, feel free to check out some of our other blogs. And if you are looking for the best massage centre in Kathmandu, look no further than Inner Sight!