How To Relieve Persistent Shoulder Pain
17/03/2024
Did you know that the average recovery time for shoulder pain is 3.5 years?!
In other words, if your shoulder starts hurting, the chances are that you'll be in pain for over 3 year! That sounds crazy, and yet a story I hear many times as a fitness instructor.
Why on earth does it take so long for shoulder pain to improve?
The reason is that even though you feel the pain in your shoulder, that's often NOT the root cause of the issue. This is why treatments like steroid injections, physiotherapy and stretches offer only temporary relief.
Read on to discover how I instantly improved a class member's chronic shoulder pain with 3x simple adjustments, how and why these relieved the pain this member had been living with for years.
Background
A week ago a class member approached me and asked for help with a chronic left shoulder pain she'd had for years. The pain had gotten worse after a holiday last year, when she did a lot of swimming. Now it was bothering her almost all the time.
We talked about the anatomy of the shoulder, how it functions as a neuromuscular joint and how pain from the joint may not be the driver of the problem.
The shoulder isn't just the shoulder (glenohumeral) joint, which forms the junction of the upper arm bone (humerus) with the glenoid cavity of the shoulder blade (scapula).
I think of the shoulder complex as being made up of:
- Arm
- Shoulder (glenohumeral) joint
- Collarbone
- Shoulder blade (scapula)
- Ribs
- Thoracic spine
Dysfunction or a breakdown in communication between any of these components can lead to the arm bone becoming de-centred in the shoulder socket (glenoid cavity), resulting in you feeling pain in your shoulder joint.
Looking at the scapula, it sits on the back of the rib cage. Underneath the shoulder blade is a muscle called serratus anterior. In between serratus anterior and the shoulder blade is a fatty pad, that reduces friction between the two bony structures.
Serratus anterior covers the rib cage. The shape of serratus anterior is serrated, like sharks teeth, hence it's name. Overlaying serratus anterior is a more well know muscle - the external obliques. Serratus anterior and the external obliques effectively form one 'super' muscle.
Then the external obliques attach onto the pelvis. So this is the muscular connection ,linking the shoulder complex to the pelvis, and therefor hips, legs and feet.
Joining The Dots to Relieve Chronic Pain
After her first Pilates class, this member came up and mentioned that she'd noticed her right foot liked to turn out.. When she stood with her feet together and toes pointing forwards, she said her whole body tensed up and it felt like her left knee was being pulled in.
So this is where we started.
I asked her to stand as she would usually do, with her right foot turning out. Then I asked her what was she feeling in her body? After a brief pause, she said that it felt like she might be twisting her body to the right, and her left shoulder was being pulled forwards to the right. Standing behind her, I could see that her scapula was being protracted away from the back of her rib cage and thoracic spine.
Then I asked her to turn her right foot forward, so both feet were pointing in the same direction ie. parallel to each other and hip width apart. Then I asked her how this felt. "Odd", she replied.
From behind, I saw that her right and left waists were different lengths. So I asked her to relax her left hip so it could drop. I gently guided this hip to show it the desired direction, and waited for her to self-adjust her body.
This self-adjustment is crucial to recalibrate the brain and nervous system.
After a few wiggles, along with a bit of trial and error, she managed to level her pelvis and both waists were now a similar length.
"What are you feeling now?", I asked her. "I feel like I'm standing heavily on my left leg", came back the reply. I could also see that her right foot looked very light on the floor.
So, I asked her to shift her weight until she felt more evenly balanced.
Wait for it.....3, 2, 1...... "Bl**dy hell, I've lived with this for years!". As all the tension and pain melted away from her body, her face just lit up!!!
Although this whole process took less than 10 minutes, this is NOT a quick fix. The effects will be temporary. To make them stick, she'll need to re-educate her brain and nervous system to accept these adjustments. This will take consistent practice and repetition to change muscle behaviour so this new posture becomes her normal.
The beauty of The Befriend Your Body Method is that you self-adjust your body through guided movement explorations, helping your brain to become consciously aware of which muscles are tense, and then it can regain voluntary control of these muscles to change their state from tense to relaxed.
Unlike many conventional treatment methods, there isn't a set checklist of boxes to be ticked off. Eg. Do this diagnostic test, and if you get result (1) do A -> B -> C.
This member mentioned her right foot first and it seemed significant to her, so that's where I started. Then, it's just about asking the body and listening to it's response. I use my experience, observations of the person and intuition to choose the next step, and we repeat the process of asking and listening.
Like the layers of an onion, we start to peel away the layers of pain, until we restore the body to it's original, relaxed, non-painful state.
Yes, it's really that simple! No painful stretches or pricey tools involved.
And once you know which muscles are tense, and how to consciously release tension from these muscles, you can do it for yourself any time. No more waiting weeks for an appointment or paying £££s for repeat treatments every time the pain flares.
Even better, the pain flare ups will start to become less intense and less frequent. You can enjoy all your favourite activities, without worrying if your body can cope.
Do you relate to this member's long-term struggle to find answers for her chronic shoulder pain?
I'm considering opening my diary for 15 mins online Zoom clarity calls where I'll offer insights into your pain or injury, so you have a clearer path forwards to recovery.
Are you ready to take action, and take back control of how your body feels?
Click HERE to indicate your interest in booking a clarity call with me.
NEXT STEPS
- Book into a Stretch, Yoga or Pilates class with me - these are a good introduction to The Befriend Your Body (BYB) Method for pain relief
- Indicate your interest in a 15 mins clarity call to get clearer on what's stopping you from getting out of pain. Click HERE
- Attend a mind-body retreat - these are deeply relaxing, fun, social small group experiences typically held in various locations within easy reach of Worthing, West Sussex. The next retreat is on Sunday 24th March (3x spaces left). Click HERE for all the details.
- ** BOOKINGS NOW OPEN ** New 60 mins pop-up classes. One class a month, a different theme each month, Click HERE to see the class schedule and reserve your place.
- Subscribe HERE to receive "The Movement Chronicle", a weekly e-newsletter delivering mobility and pain reduction tips directly into your inbox every Monday morning,
If you would like support with managing pain or an injury please reach out to me on any of these channels:
- Email at norma@unicornhealthandfitness.com
- DM me on Facebook Messenger
- WhatsApp message to 07801 867361.