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Shoulder Pain

I have a client that had dislocated his shoulder about a month ago. He has pain around the entire scapula region. I have done some ice therapy and trigger point around the entire scapula region and it is not getting any better. When I do the trigger point therapy the pain is unbearable for my client and he asks me to stop. Does anyone have any other suggestions on what more I can do for this client?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Carl W. Brown on July 12, 2009 at 9:50pm

If it was dislocated in a forward going position then it may have over stretched the subscapularis muscle. Does the person have full range of motion in the shoulder? It could still be partially dislocated. Or it could have other problems such as the tendon of the long end of the biceps is out of the intertubercular sulcus. It could be myofascial adhesions or it may be that the muscle fibers may just have to heal.

Permalink Reply by Paula Martin on July 13, 2009 at 7:33pm

No, my client does not have full range of motion to that shoulder. Is there anything else that I can do to help him with this or should I just have him heal from the injury? He has been going to the Chiropractor for his injury.

Permalink Reply by Kelly Grounds on September 3, 2009 at 10:23pm

Have you tried some MF work? It's a bit gentler and slower than trigger point. I start out with mild pressure and slowly work deeper into the layers of muscle.

Permalink Reply by Ray Mingo on February 25, 2010 at 12:22pm

Pain in this region can be caused by an array of different dysfunction muscles such as:
Trapezius
Latissimus Dorsi
Pectoralis Major
Pectoralis Minor
Levator Scapulae
Rhomboideus Major and Minor (inhibited)
Serratus Posterior Superior
The Rotator Muscles (acess which muscle)
and a few other muscls

Pain may be cause by some sort of damage to the ligaments like tear or scar tissue build up which can cause pain and poor range of motion especially the rotator cuff. So cross fiber friction, stretch therapy (PNF), and adapting some strengthen exercises for inhibited muscles may be a good prescription plan.

I would like to suggest that you try therapy on the muscles and ligaments that have attachment to the scapula (pecs, rhomboids, intertransverse ligaments, Lavata scap, lats., etc.) without actually touching the scapula itself.

Permalink Reply by Hank Krebs on March 26, 2010 at 10:24am

Hello Paula- If the ribs in the side seam of the shirt adjacent to the breast are tender/ painful a culprit would be the serratus anterior , if the extra rotation of forearm up to the "Hi" wave position is restricted then the subscapularis could be another possibly for beneath the scapula muscles . If the pain is perceived with a light touch to the mid scapula then the terres brothers are a likely pair to investigate along with the infraspinatus. I treat these with Reciprocal Inhibition as you are engaging the antagonist of the sore muscle without inflicting any stress on the agonist which is the hurting one. Client only uses minimal force to avoid initiating discomfort. In His Hands Massage, Hank Krebs Victoria, Tx