Author George Russell, in the May 1, 2024 edition of Massage Therapy Journal, states, “Among the dilemmas of middle age is the balance between accepting limitation and soldiering on aggressively.”He goes on to address shoulder issues in a very scientific way that I attempt to restate in layman's terms for easier comprehension. Conditions such as frozen shoulder, labral tears, rotator cuff fraying and ruptures, impingements, bursitis, and arthritis, while different in nature, all have loss of shoulder joint mobility and shrinking fascia in common- and affects us all in middle age.
In a cycle first noticed in middle age more than any time before in our lives, our fascia stiffens, our capacity for injury increases and recovery from injury takes longer. If we are focusing on the shoulder joints, the rotator cuff, four muscles primarily responsible for lifting our arms to the outside, bringing them back to the sides of the body and rotating them inward and outward is the central area where shoulder injuries begin. These injuries are marked by “trigger points, functional weakness and mechanical disadvantage of the rotator cuff,” according to Russell and he adds that the rotator cuff should be renamed the “stability cuff” to which I wholeheartedly agree since these muscles are more responsible for shoulder joint mobility more than other muscles of the shoulder. However, when it comes to treating the shoulder joint and shoulder girdle, as I like to tell my own clients, there are about 50 muscles that need to be addressed. Otherwise, we as therapists are spinning our wheels and only doing half a job.
Next week, I will post a video on one of the ways we can begin to release restrictions in shoulder movement using myofascial techniques.
In the meantime, book your session at Massage Refresh in Decatur, Texas. Let me help you regain mobility in the shoulder joint.
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