Shoulder pain is very rarely a shoulder problem. Persistent shoulder pain or injuries could be a sign of a postural imbalance throughout your rib cage, pelvis or even feet!
Your body does not work particular parts in isolation. When we have a restriction in the ankle joint we may see issues such as pain higher up the body. Similarly if there is restrictions of movement in the neck, we may see issues in the lower back.
A healthy fascial system distributes load throughout the entirety of the system. Prolonged exposure to stress from your job, type of exercise, poor posture, relationships or lifestyle choices will cause tension in your body. This tension over time may cause your body to distribute load inefficiently.
A perfect example is sleepy glutes that are a result from prolonged sitting. When you sit on your glutes they become inactive (and usually) and when you stand up and take these sleepy glutes into walking or exercise (particularly lifting weights) your body will start moving differently to compensate that you have no glutes! Your glutes are extremely important for hip stabilisation, without them you become tighter in other places to stabilise effectively. Often times people who move less throughout the day go to the gym and suddenly overload their fascist system and make matters even worse. This build up of stiffness, soreness and lack of natural glute activation can quickly lead to injury.
extreme soreness has become a celebrated experience in our culture, but pain is often an indication that you've gone too far, too fast Katy Bowman
When we experience trauma or injury to an area, the body is extremely good at doing whatever it can to keep functioning the best way it knows how. The areas of trauma or injury often become tight and restricted but the rest of your body will compensate. Add in stressors such as your job, relationships and types of exercise, pain can often surface in different areas of your body with no explanation.
Shoulder injuries are often a results of poor postural patterns taken into repetitive movement. Some times we can create change and provide relief by focusing on the shoulder through massage or physio, however, if you are getting treatment for your shoulder injury and your therapist has not looked more globally – you may not see long term results.
Structural Bodywork at Muscle Sense aims at treating your whole body, not just symptoms. Do you want to get back to pain free movements that you love? If your niggling shoulder isn't getting any better, it might be time to take some time to commit to some different treatment.