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Painful shoulder/Restless leg syndrome

I had an intersting client a short while ago. Her main reason for getting a massage was a very painful right shoulder that was becoming debilitating. She thinks it was a combination of yard work and palates workouts that caused it. She told me that I had helped her in the past with a pain problem and hoped that I could help her now. Well I could see why she was hurting. I palpated very tender spots in her upper trapezius, levator scapulae, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres major, and on her lateral spinus at T7(multifidus and rotatores). All on the right side. They were all very tender to touch. She had a 50 minute massage scheduled but I had taken her early because I had time and she was there.. A good thinig..It took about a half hour to find and clear those trigger points out. During the session she mentioned that she suffered from Restless leg syndrome. I asked her if she had pain in her legs and she said no. She said they just flinch at night involuntarily but there is no pain. I thought well it wont hurt to check for trigger points in her legs anyway, sense she seemed to be prone to them. And wow was she suprised as wall as I to find very painful spots on the lateral side of both legs as well as her left hip. Those trigger points were different in the sense that they were only painful under palpation. It was a gluteus minimus, on the left side as well as three very tender spots on the vastus lateralis, and one on the uhh? (just below the knee on the lateral leg). Her right hip was free of trigger points but she had the same three or four vastus lateralis trigger points on her right leg. No trigger points below the right knee though. Anyway it took a full hour to clear out all those trigger points. She made a 25 minute follow up appointment in a few days from now. When she left her shoulder felt pain free. I instructed her not to stretch or workout. Just to eat good food, rest and heal. And we will see how things are on her follow up visit. I will attach pictures of some of the trigger points that caused her problem. I dont know if therer is space for all of them. I like doiing that kind of work.

Attachments:

Screenshot_2013-05-28-22-01-37.png, 334 KB
Screenshot_2013-05-28-22-02-36.png, 341 KB
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on May 29, 2013 at 1:12am

More of her trigger points in the attachments. I didn't include the hip and leg TPs. It wasnt her main complaint anyway. Im interested to see what effect it had if any on her restless leg syndrome? She had no TPs on the front of her shoulder or deltoids.

Attachments:

Screenshot_2013-05-28-22-01-18.png, 287 KB
Screenshot_2013-05-28-22-01-05.png, 258 KB
Screenshot_2013-05-28-22-05-18.png, 359 KB

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on May 31, 2013 at 4:20pm

Just as a follow up. Her shoulder pain is completey resolved. She told me that she will try to get her friend, that has chronic hip pain, to come in and see me. I hope she can. The general public does not realize the full potential of soft tissue work. Here is a paragraph out of LEON CHAITOWS book, MODERN NEUROMUSCULAR TECHNIQUES.

The radiating and/or refired symptoms deriving from myofacial trigger points are a major cause of sustained pain and dysfunction, according to Wall and Melzack(1989), THE LEADING RESEARCHERS INTO PAIN. Trigger points are indeed stated by them to be a part of all chronic pain conditions, OFTEN THE MAJOR PART. But sadly. Truth is often hidden....like a shadow.....in darkness.

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on May 31, 2013 at 6:30pm

Uhm, the Truth is often hidden part is not from his book. Its just what I keep saying. Because its true.

Gordon J. Wallis said:

Just as a follow up. Her shoulder pain is completey resolved. She told me that she will try to get her friend, that has chronic hip pain, to come in and see me. I hope she can. The general public does not realize the full potential of soft tissue work. Here is a paragraph out of LEON CHAITOWS book, MODERN NEUROMUSCULAR TECHNIQUES.

The radiating and/or refired symptoms deriving from myofacial trigger points are a major cause of sustained pain and dysfunction, according to Wall and Melzack(1989), THE LEADING RESEARCHERS INTO PAIN. Trigger points are indeed stated by them to be a part of all chronic pain conditions, OFTEN THE MAJOR PART. But sadly. Truth is often hidden....like a shadow.....in darkness.