Zen Len Massage Therapy

09/14/2025

05/16/2025

🔈SHOULDER PAIN EXPLAINED

Shoulder pain, often associated with impingement, results from compression or irritation of structures within the shoulder joint. Three main types of shoulder impingement are:

1. Primary External Impingement:
- Compression of rotator cuff tendons and the subacromial bursa between the humeral head and acromion.
- Common in activities involving repetitive overhead motions.

2. Secondary External Impingement:
- Related to shoulder joint instability or abnormal motion.
- Caused by factors like muscle imbalances, weakness, or poor scapular control.

3. Internal Impingement:
- Compression within the shoulder joint, affecting rotator cuff tendons and the articular side.
- Often observed in athletes performing repetitive overhead motions, such as throwing athletes.

Referred pain to the shoulder can stem from the cervical and thoracic spine:

1. Referred Pain from Cervical Spine:
- Due to conditions like cervical radiculopathy, herniated discs, or foraminal stenosis.
- Involves muscles in the neck (trapezius, levator scapulae, and rhomboids) and nerves (brachial plexus and cervical nerves).

2. Referred Pain from Thoracic Spine:
- Less common than cervical spine-related pain.
- Associated with conditions like thoracic disc herniation or nerve compression.
- Involves muscles in the upper back (trapezius and rhomboids) and thoracic spinal nerves.

Neural Involvement:
- Neural issues may arise when nerves from the spinal cord are affected, particularly the brachial plexus.
- Nerve compression or irritation along the brachial plexus can lead to pain, tingling, or numbness radiating into the shoulder and upper extremities.

05/16/2025

🔈 Muscle Vocabulary Explained

04/23/2025