Toronto Massage Therapy and Acupuncture Clinic by RMT » Shoulder Pain

Video: Chest/Pectoral Stretch for the Office

Ken Shim, RMT — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:47:18 +0000

Here is another stretch for your chest pectoral muscles. It is a yoga stretch than can easily be done at the work place. Perfect for those moments when you are stressed out at work and don’t have time for a break.

Guidelines for performing the stretches:

Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
Do the exercises slowly and gently. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. Be especially careful of any sharp pain in the shoulder. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
To increase the stretch, try to squeeze your shoulder blades together and slide them down your back while you are doing the exercise.
Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
Hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds each time.

Video: Chest/Pectoral Stretch for Neck & Shoulder Pain

Ken Shim, RMT — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:24:06 +0000

Tightness in the pectoral muscles is an important factor in neck pain or shoulder/upper back pain. Shortness in the pectoral muscles pull the shoulder blades forward and cause the upper back muscles to stay in a stretched, weakened position resulting in neck and shoulder pain. This often happens because of poor postural habits, but more importantly it is due to our always being hunched over our desks or computers. Doing a few pec stretches every day can help reverse poor posture, increase muscle length and decrease shoulder and neck pain.

Guidelines for performing the stretches:

Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
Do the exercises slowly and gently. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. Be especially careful of any sharp pain in the shoulder. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
To increase the stretch, try to squeeze your shoulder blades together and slide them down your back while you are doing the exercise.
Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
Hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds each time.

Video: Exercises for Neck Pain

Ken Shim, RMT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:38 +0000

Here is a video that shows some really simple stretches for the neck. For those of you suffering from neck pain, these stretches are a good starting point as they are gentle and non-aggressive. The stretches can be performed in the seated or standing position and are a great way to break up the tension that is building up during your work day.

Guidelines for performing the stretches:

Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
Do the exercises slowly
Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
The vertebrae and muscles in the neck are very fragile and can be aggravated very easily. Don’t try to overdo it. You will get better results by stretching gently, but more frequently. On the other hand, overdoing it can leave you with a really nasty neck cramp.
If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
Do the exercises a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.

Video: Shoulder Exercises for Improving Posture & Decreasing Chronic Pain

Ken Shim, RMT — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:00:13 +0000

Here is a video for some exercises for improving shoulder posture. It is definitely worth a try for people who haven’t had much luck with the traditional stretching exercises. Traditionally, to correct posture, we focus on increasing the length of shortened muscles or increasing the strength of weak muscles in an attempt to bring the body’s posture back to equilibrium. The technique proposed in this video focuses on awareness and activating. These gentle, almost effortless movements bring the participant’s attention to muscles that are often ignored. In this example, the participant activates her serratus anterior muscle, which is a small postural muscle whose weakness is often overcompensated for by larger muscle groups like the trapezius muscles. Teaching the participant to use her serratus anterior muscle results in a more evenly divided workload for the postural muscles, which in turn lead to better posture and reduced chronic pain. With the shoulder blade sitting better on the torso, the many neck muscles that originate from the torso or shoulder blade experience reduced stress.

I tried the exercises myself on the weekend after a long bout of cycling (ie. sore neck and shoulders) and found instant relief.

Enjoy the video.

Yoga for Pain Reduction

Ken Shim, RMT — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:48:41 +0000

Since becoming a massage therapist, I have quickly found the limits my body can go before it needs help. The work is tiring and physically demanding and burns out many RMT’s by the 5 year mark. This is why I religiously follow a program of postural awareness, stretching exercises, epsom salt baths, weight training and most important of all: yoga. Yoga has done wonders for helping me maintain my core strength and flexibility and decreasing lower back pain. I plan on writing more on these topics in the near future, but for now I’d like to give props to my yoga teacher, Julia. She can be found on her website: http://www.yoga-vibe.com/

Improve Your Shoulder Posture by Changing Your Workout

Ken Shim, RMT — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:42:43 +0000

One of the most important and long lasting ways to get rid of neck and shoulder pain is to change your posture. I am sure that you have all heard it from your massage therapist, but, how can you change your posture after it’s been that way for decades? The body has already been trained and it’s game over, right?

Wrong! Using the right fascial massage techniques, stretches and strength training can re-educate your body to develop and accept a new posture. With postural re-education you will find more permanent results than simply trying to pull your shoulders back.

Pace Yourself

Firstly, understand that the change has to be gradual. It can be next to impossible to change postural habits overnight. Clients often feel like they have to change their posture instantly and that they are “failing” every time that they catch themselves falling into their old slouches. I ask them to instead try to have good posture for a total of an hour a day for the first week and then gradually increase it. This way they can understand that it is a gradual process and that they have a really good chance of succeeding. Most will be able to do more than an hour a day and feel great about it.

Strength Training for Posture

The other approach is to start strengthening your muscles. Posture is only partly habit. The rest of your posture depends on muscle balance. The chest muscles (pectoralis major and pectoralis minor) pull the shoulder blades forward, while the back muscles (rhomboids, trapezius and latissimus dorsi) pull the shoulder blades back and toward the spine. Most people are stronger in the chest than they are in the back, which is why they slouch forward. Re-balancing your postural muscles involves stretching out the pectoral muscles and strengthening the back muscles.

Start training your back muscles.

By strengthening the upper back muscles, specifically the muscles that bring your shoulder blades together, you will find that your body with its balanced muscles will naturally and automatically go into the correct posture. You won’t have to think about posture or make any real effort again. The key exercises for strengthening these back muscles are lat pulldowns and rowing motions.

Focus on Endurance

The problem with pulling your shoulders back is that these muscles get tired as they lack endurance. An 8 hour work day is a long time for these muscles to be working against the powerful chest muscles. When strengthening your postural back muscles, build endurance by lowering the weight and working up to sets of 16 or more reps.

Take it Easy on Your Chest

Most people that work out love spending time on their pecs. Guys love the strong, masculine look that big pecs give, while women like how it firms and lifts the breasts. Remember though, that strong, short, tight pec muscles are a big reason for our bad posture. These muscles shorten with repeated slouching and hunching over our computers. Strengthening these muscles further shorten them and worsen our posture. You can still work on your chest in a workout, but you will need to change your approach:

Lower the weight you are using.
If you can, leave the bench press alone and work the pec fly machine. The pec fly works the pecs through its full range of motion including the stretched out end range.
Stretch your pecs before and after every set. Pec stretches will lengthen the pec muscles and keep them from going into spasm.

A Second Look at the Elliptical

Most people use the elliptical by powering through with their legs while their arms limply hold onto the handles and swing. This is good for cardio training and working the legs, but if you want to improve your posture and get rid of your neck pain, try using the elliptical in the following way.

The key is to focus on what you are doing with your upper body. Try to shift all the work from the legs to the upper body. It may be difficult at first and you may need to alternate between focusing on the upper body and focusing on the lower body.
There are 2 phases: pulling the handle back and pushing the handle forward. To work your postural muscles, put all your effort into the pulling back phase while using the pushing forward phase to rest.
When working the upper body, don’t let your arms do all the work. Focus on your shoulder blade. It should be either moving outward or pulling inward toward the centre of your back. The more your shoulder blades are moving, the more you are working your postural muscles.
When you pull back on the handle, try to pull your shoulder blade toward your spine. This works the rhomboid, lats, and middle and lower traps: the postural muscles that pull your shoulders back.
During the rest phase when the handle is going forward, don’t put too much effort on the arm, but try to distract your shoulder blade and slide it out and forward for a nice stretch.
This exercise works great because there is a lot of repetition which builds endurance in your postural muscles. When those back muscles become as strong as or stronger than the front muscles your shoulders will automatically start pulling your shoulders back on their own.

Good posture, naturally.

“My Shoulders Hurt When I Jog”

Ken Shim, RMT — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:12:53 +0000

We expect pain and discomfort in just about every muscle from the waist down when it comes to jogging, but why would we get a pain in the shoulder?

First of all many of us have some sort of postural imbalance where the shoulders aren’t lined up well. Also, there is muscle tension and stress that we keep in our neck and shoulders. This means that there might be decreased flexibility, mobility, health and strength leading to early muscle fatigue, pain and cramping. Treating the stress in the neck and shoulders with massage or acupuncture can free them up so that they perform better when jogging.

Another approach is to look at how we jog. Many jog in a way that increases shoulder tension. A quick check is to look at your hands. Are they loose or clenched in a fist? They should be loose. If they are clenched in a fist, then we are likely activating and clenching every muscle from our fingertips, arms and shoulders up to our neck when jogging. This constant tension leads to early muscle fatigue and pain. A simple remedy is to keep our hands, arms and shoulders loose as we jog. It can be hard to be constantly thinking of our arms while jogging, so try this simple technique: touch your thumb to your middle finger lightly and keep it there the whole time that you are jogging. In this position it is really difficult to have any real tension in our arms and shoulders. The shoulders will stay loose and the pain will go away.

Stay loose.

Ken Shim, RMT

Learning to Sit: Posture & Ergonomics for Work & School

Ken Shim, RMT — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:20:50 +0000

Don’t just sit there…. Get to work!” used to be a familiar sound from the boss. These days, however, most of us do all of our work sitting down on the job.

As you can imagine, spending 8 hours a day in one position is not the best for our bodies. Improper sitting can subject your body to unnecessary stress that may eventually lead to pain and discomfort in the neck, shoulder or low back. Here are some tips to reduce discomfort:

Don’t remain in one position for long periods. Try standing up or walking around about every 20 minutes.This routine can be incorporated into your work routine by taking phones calls, filing or reading while standing up rather than sitting. Try delivering a message to a co-worker in person rather than e-mailing or using inter-office mail.
Try using the hands-free option on your telephone or a headset rather than holding the phone to your ear with your shoulder as this practice over time can lead to neck and shoulder strain.
Listen to your body. When you feel tension or stress in certain area of your body like the neck, back and shoulders, change positions or try some gentle stretching exercises

Position your chair at a height where:

The work surface is “elbow high.”
Your feet are comfortably positioned flat on the floor
When working, your elbows & knees are bent at 90 degree angles

If your chair is not adjustable, use a foot rest such as a phone book to attain this more ideal position

Position the height of your computer screen:

Sit comfortably in your newly adjusted chair
Close your eyes and relax, then, slowly reopen them.
Where you first gaze as you open your eyes is the place to put the center of your screen

You can raise the height with books or a stand if needed.

Does it hurt to breathe?

Ken Shim, RMT — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:51:49 +0000

Have you ever experienced a sharp pain in your ribs, abs or back from breathing? There is a possibility that you might have had a “rib out” or a dislocation of your costo-vertebral joint (the joint where the rib joins the vertebrae).

Surprisingly this is more common than you might imagine. The joint that holds the ribs to the vertebrae is quite weak and shallow giving a range of movement to the ribs. Unfortunately this means that it is easier for the joint to get out of place. Typically ribs pop out with something as simple as a sneeze or reaching for something on the top shelf. The pain comes on quickly and intensely and can feel aggravated with movement or breathing. When it is new and acute the pain may be felt just about everywhere in the upper body and be triggered by a variety of movents. After a few days the pain may become more localized to one area (typically along one of the ribs) and to a few different types of movements. Oftentimes ribs will pop back in on their own, but the best plan of action is to have it treated soon so that things don’t worsen.

I have found success in treating this condition with a combination of acupuncture, massage, mobilizations and stretching techniques. In a successful treatment the rib literally ‘pops’ back into the joint.

Finding the Right Back Pack for your Child

Ken Shim, RMT — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:28:38 +0000

Your child’s backpack may be hurting his or her health. Studies have shown that as many as 50% of teenagers suffer from back pain, which may be caused by a number of factors- one of them the improper use of backpacks.

“Backpacks should not weigh more than 15 percent of a child’s body weight,” advises Ken Shim. “Anything heavier can cause back pain or other health problems.”

Make sure your child stays healthy by packing it light and wearing it right. Here’s how:

Loading a backpack:

Load heaviest items closest to a child’s back.
Arrange books and materials so they won’t slide around in the backpack.
Pack only necessary items.

Wearing a backpack:

Wear both shoulder straps.
Select a pack with well padded shoulder straps.
Adjust the shoulder straps so backpack fits snug to the child’s back and rests in the curve of the lower back.
Wear the waist belt if the backpack has one·
When the backpack is overloaded, use a book bag on wheels instead.

Child’s Weight (lbs)	Maximum Recommended Backpack Weight (lbs)
50	5
70	7
90	14
110	16
130	19
150	22
170	25
190	28