An often surprising fact to my clients, is that the commonly known ‘rotator cuff’ muscle is actually four muscles; infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. These muscles are responsible stabilizing the shoulder joint, as well as rotation, raising, and lowering the arm. Knowing how to work with these muscles provides great relief to my clients, allowing them to get back to a productive life.
Rotator cuff issues can leave clients unable to raise their arms, put them at risk for dislocations, and cause them to lose sleep. Luckily, these muscles are easily accessible for either chair or table massage and even a short session can have great benefits. These muscles are often worked while engaging them with both pressure and movement, to help the muscles relax. Additionally, the tendons for these muscles lie closely together, allowing the therapist to address the muscle origin to insertion; beginning to end.
Below are pictures of the rotator cuff, showing where the muscles begin and end to give you a better idea of what the cuff I’m talking about. One observation to make is that the muscles are pulling the ‘ends’ (red spots), towards the grey spots. This is what creates some of the different actions we get at the shoulder, and is something your therapist might have you demonstrate to determine what muscles to address in your massage.
These muscles are integral to the movement of our arms but often go an addressed, as they are best worked using orthopedic protocols; which feel good but are not often as relaxing. A good therapist uses the interview prior to the massage to identify the clients needs and wants, then filters that through the lens of what is achievable in the allotted time. I tend to explain to my clients how we will achieve their goals, and like to include a little muscle education as well. There are a wide range of techniques to alleviate the issues I’ve discussed here and I hope you consider Maxfield’s Melting Massage the next time you’re wondering –
“What the cuff is going on with my shoulder?”
