“Can massage help with shoulder impingement?”
I have shoulder impingement. Can massage help with shoulder impingement?
3 Answers
No. Impingement implies alignment issues and massage won't help with that.
When we are talking about shoulder impingement, the most important thing is to identify exactly what type of impingement is that you are experiencing. The most common type of shoulder impingement that I see in clinical practice is due to the costoclavicular impingement.
Right below the clavicle or your collarbone travels, a nerve bundle in artery and a vein. The nerve bundle being the brachial plexus travels through that area and below the collarbone is your first rib or rib number one.
Whenever a patient does repetitive overhead movements with her shoulders, for example, with their work, or even in their activities of daily living, the clavicle, and the first rib can approximate, therefore compressing on that brachial plexus thus causing you to have your ridiculous symptoms down the shoulder to the arm, and sometimes to the wrist and hands.
After determine if it’s indeed caused by this type of impingement, a good test would be to perform would be palpating the radio pulse with the shoulder and arm in a relaxed position. After determining the pulse, the patient is asked to raise their shoulder and arm above their head and extend their shoulders as well. This test will cause the first rib and the clavicle to approximate. the causing the radio post to dissipate. This is very pathing pneumonic for shoulder impingement.
After confirmation, there are multiple ways to treat shoulder impingement. When looking at the muscular, skeletal system in its totality., one must pay attention to every aspect of the muscular skeletal system. We are talking about bones, joints, tendons, ligament, fascia, bursa, nerves, and blood vessels as well.
Systematically, the first thing to do is to determine the affected shoulder range of motion. After performing range of motion, next thing we would do typically is a focus neurological exam, followed by a motor exam testing the nerves in the muscles being affected.
Once the appropriate affected area is ascertained, the first thing is to correct any structural abnormalities found. I’m talking about any type of shoulder subluxation. Once that is corrected, now we can pay attention to the surrounding structures, the muscles the tendons in the ligaments this is where massage is crucial in the correction of any type of shoulder impingement.
For my experience, the type of massage doesn’t have to be any type of really deep tissue massage, but rather a massage that is specifically aim to release the hypertonic and spasm muscles of the shoulder.
Anteriorly we’re talking about the Pec Major, Pec Minor, Anterior Deltoid And portions of the upper trapezius muscles. The massage has to be focused on those specific muscles which would release the pressure off of the surrounding structures specifically the collarbone and rib number one.
Causing the costoclavicular space to become patent and thereby decreased the chances Of those two structures, approximate each other when there is repetitive shoulder movements involved.
I hope that this helps you on your journey to correct your shoulder impingement.
Stay blessed, yours in health,
Dr. Charles Nguyen
Right below the clavicle or your collarbone travels, a nerve bundle in artery and a vein. The nerve bundle being the brachial plexus travels through that area and below the collarbone is your first rib or rib number one.
Whenever a patient does repetitive overhead movements with her shoulders, for example, with their work, or even in their activities of daily living, the clavicle, and the first rib can approximate, therefore compressing on that brachial plexus thus causing you to have your ridiculous symptoms down the shoulder to the arm, and sometimes to the wrist and hands.
After determine if it’s indeed caused by this type of impingement, a good test would be to perform would be palpating the radio pulse with the shoulder and arm in a relaxed position. After determining the pulse, the patient is asked to raise their shoulder and arm above their head and extend their shoulders as well. This test will cause the first rib and the clavicle to approximate. the causing the radio post to dissipate. This is very pathing pneumonic for shoulder impingement.
After confirmation, there are multiple ways to treat shoulder impingement. When looking at the muscular, skeletal system in its totality., one must pay attention to every aspect of the muscular skeletal system. We are talking about bones, joints, tendons, ligament, fascia, bursa, nerves, and blood vessels as well.
Systematically, the first thing to do is to determine the affected shoulder range of motion. After performing range of motion, next thing we would do typically is a focus neurological exam, followed by a motor exam testing the nerves in the muscles being affected.
Once the appropriate affected area is ascertained, the first thing is to correct any structural abnormalities found. I’m talking about any type of shoulder subluxation. Once that is corrected, now we can pay attention to the surrounding structures, the muscles the tendons in the ligaments this is where massage is crucial in the correction of any type of shoulder impingement.
For my experience, the type of massage doesn’t have to be any type of really deep tissue massage, but rather a massage that is specifically aim to release the hypertonic and spasm muscles of the shoulder.
Anteriorly we’re talking about the Pec Major, Pec Minor, Anterior Deltoid And portions of the upper trapezius muscles. The massage has to be focused on those specific muscles which would release the pressure off of the surrounding structures specifically the collarbone and rib number one.
Causing the costoclavicular space to become patent and thereby decreased the chances Of those two structures, approximate each other when there is repetitive shoulder movements involved.
I hope that this helps you on your journey to correct your shoulder impingement.
Stay blessed, yours in health,
Dr. Charles Nguyen
Yes. Loosening the rotator cuff muscles can allow more space between the acromion.of the scapula and the greater tuberocity of the humerus. The more space, the less impingement. Scapular stabilization exercises should also be implemented. Many patients are having great results with shockwave therapy as well.
