This week’s article is short and sweet with a practical mobility and massage power move to try at home or work. Do you ever experience a cranky shoulders, neck, or areas around the upper back and shoulder blades? If so, we have a great self massage move for you to try that only requires a tennis ball (or other type of ball like lacrosse, softball, etc) and a wall. You can also get away with a door jam or corner if you don’t have a ball or something similar with you.

Did you know that the shoulders have (or at least should have) more movement than any other joint in the body? Here we are talking specifically about the glenohumeral joint (often refered to as the ball and socket of the head of the upper arm and socket of the shoulder blade). That incredible mobility gives it much range of motion in actions like adduction, abduction, flexion, extension, internal rotation, external rotation, and 360° circumduction in the sagittal plane. However, the GH joint doesn’t just like to move by itself and many movements are dependent on motion happening at the shoulder blades and spine. We also often find this one to be a tricky one for many folks to do on their own when something more complex is going. However, whether we see you for longer massage therapy treatments or shorter Active Release Technique (Targeted Relief) work we can typically clear the issue since in reality everyone’s issues can be different.

The technique in the video is a great one if you spend a lot of time on a computer. Try this shoulder self massage move to see if it gives you a little relief after sitting too much or staring for a long time at a monitor or phone screen. We have also seen this one help when the neck feels tight and cranky.

Give it a whirl and if this works- awesome!- if not, shoot us a message and let us know what is going on. We can likely help.

This work is specific to individuals experiencing pain or tension between their scapula and spine when moving their arm but you may find it work for other issues in the neck, back or shoulders. The idea for this particular move is to use a soft ball to grab the connective tissue and create better glide between muscle fibers to release any sticky spots.

• Place the ball in the area(s) you feel the most feedback (if you don’t have one, use a corner or door jam)

• Gently lean into the wall

• Cross your arm over as far as you need

• Rotate your head to look down towards your opposite hip

• Hold for 5-10sec at a time

• Repeat

Remember, there is no specific movement that has to be done like in the video, explore and find the spots that give you the most tension (as well as relief) and hold those areas for YOU. Also note that sometimes you may need to add movement to bake things in a bit more as far as sustained relief. More on that to come…

Any questions with this self massage and stretch or if you need some help with other aches and pains, drop us a line here.

if you’re a new client and would like an assessment and manual treatment or are returning, use code MT15 when you book any manual or massage treatment on our scheduling page.