“Where you think it is, it ain’t.”
This is a quote from Ida Rolf, the creator of Rolfing. This is a form of deep tissue massage intended to improve form and function. What she is referring to here is when a client experiences pain in a location, the dysfunctional issues driving the pain are usually located elsewhere.
This past month, I had the opportunity to help a client with pain between her shoulder blades. We initially met in June. At that time, her signs and symptoms were consistent with a nerve irritation referring from the structures of the neck. She responded favorably to the initial treatment calming the pain to a reasonable, livable intensity. In subsequent follow up sessions she was feeling better- able to workout with personal trainers and play tennis. However, she continued to note the pain in her upper back that was still there.
Foolishly, I started off our most recent session by holding on to my original diagnosis- the issue was in her neck. However, since it was still present, I knew I should re-evaluate to see if anything was different.
I started by moving her neck through every conceivable motion possible as well as pressing on each joint and muscle in region. No provocation of her pain.
Next, we focused on stretching and compressing the nerves exiting the neck which run down the back or arm. No pain here.
Moving on, I examined more south by actively and passively moving her ribcage and upper back. Once more, no provocation the symptoms.
Lastly, I pushed on all the muscles of the shoulder. Viola! When I dug underneath her shoulder blade to palpate the muscle there, she jumped off the table. We identified her pain!
First step was to reduce the tone in the muscle, then the next was to figure out why it was so tight. A taut muscles is a sign from the body something is inefficient- strength, coordination, mobility. As we delved deeper, we identified diminished strength in her rotator cuff muscles and the coordination of the pushing muscles in her upper extremity.
Daily, I am given the wonderful reminder to listen to my clients! With the client above, if I just did the same thing, holding on to my initial impressions, I would have had the same result. However, in taking the time to listen, and having the intention to figure out what was causing her pain, we were able to make improvements in how she felt.
If you are feeling aches and pains associated with movements, activities or postures and are ready to become a stronger, healthier and happier human being give send me an email and let’s get started!
Thank you!
Joe