Massage for Shoulder Blade Pain and Subscapularis Muscle (Rotator Cuff)
Channel: Engaging Muscles Massage
Date: 2020-09-11

Massage for shoulder blade pain and the subscapularis muscle (aka a rotator cuff muscle). In this video, I address the subscapularis muscle with a massage technique that addresses the attachments on the shoulder blade. Tightness and pain in the upper back or shoulder could be a subscapularis that's underperforming. When the tendinous attachments of the subscapularis are addressed with a friction massage technique, the subscapularis is fully capable of providing stability throughout the new available range of motion. Before you read any further, remember that the advantage of applying friction massage to the origin and insertion of the subscapularis muscle is the results will hold from session to session. If you're searching for relief for shoulder pain, subscapularis tendinosis, or frozen shoulder, it's worth knowing that using self-massage tools and techniques designed to release muscles that are thought to be tight increases instability. In most cases, massage applied to the rotator cuff musculature is intended to release the muscles. Together, the subscapularis and the remaining rotator cuff muscles are hugely responsible for providing stability for a shoulder joint that's widely known as the most unstable joint in the entire body. To put what you just read into perspective, it's entirely possible to release your subscapularis and have more mobility over the short term. The problem is you don't have stability throughout the new available range of motion. Without stability throughout the range of motion, muscles will tighten to make up for what the underperforming subscapularis cannot provide. What isn't widely known is that to have efficient motion at the shoulder joint, the infraspinatus and subscapularis have to have the contractile ability to work together, i.e., a co-contraction. Therefore it pays to address the attachments of both of these rotator cuff muscles. When palpation of the subscapularis and the infraspinatus are on point, both muscles can generate tension at the right time. Because both muscles are better prepared to pull or generate tension at the right time, they will also be equipped to perform an isometric contraction, i.e., the muscle is pulling, but there's no change in the angle at the joint. Because your subscapularis and the rest of your rotator cuff muscles attach to your humerus from different angles, together, they work to pull the ball of your humerus into the socket. To be clear, that is the role of your rotator cuff in any position that your shoulder finds itself in. 

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Related article: https://bit.ly/rotatorcuffpain 

// What You'll Learn

- How to palpate the proximal attachment of the subscapularis muscle that's one of four rotator cuff muscles

// Chapters

00:00 intro
00:09 understanding scapula and shoulder mechanics to work smarter and not harder
01:29 visualizing that your finger is a felt-tipped marker
02:48 a little bit on rotator cuff anatomy
03:53 starting palpation of the subscapularis at the inferior angle
13:06 taking the extra time to address the humeral attachment 
14:30 outro

// About Engaging Muscles

Hey! My name is Rick Merriam. I have held a license to practice massage therapy for over 26 years. I'm also the owner of Engaging Muscles. If you're interested in getting to the root cause of pain or injury, you can find out more about what I have to offer @ https://www.engagingmuscles.com/

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