Massage for frozen shoulder: part four

By Paola Bassanese

A small breakthrough today. First of all, I got some feedback from my client saying that my last massage helped in terms of achieving good relaxation levels and easing pain. However, the client still has to take two types of painkillers. The injections don’t seem to give relief or “lubricate” the shoulder joint.

With my client’s permission, I used some specific frozen shoulder techniques to mobilise the shoulder joint. One particular technique that worked with this client in the past when we worked on the other shoulder, which later healed completely, is to access the infraspinatus muscle by lifting the arm and working on the inside of the shoulder blade, while stretching the rhomboids on the external side of the shoulder blade.

We also discussed pain management and how getting uninterrupted sleep tends to make pain more bearable. When it comes to frozen shoulder pain, it is so all-encompassing that you cannot sleep at night as you toss and turn trying to find a comfortable position. Once you find it, you have to change it again after a while as any pressure on the brachial nerves will become irritating.

 

See also: Massage for frozen shoulder part three