Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68016
YOU CAN SEE VIDEO OF THESE TESTS AND TECHNIQUES IN MASSAGE & BODYWORK'S DIGITAL EDITION, WHICH FEATURES A VIDEO CLIP FROM ADVANCED-TRAININGS.COM'S ADVANCED MYOFASCIAL TECHNIQUES FOR THE ARM, WRIST, AND SHOULDER GIRDLE DVD SET. THE LINK IS AVAILABLE AT BOTH MASSAGEANDBODYWORK.COM AND ABMP.COM. In the Glenohumeral Capsule Technique, balance the humerus directly above the scapula, so that passive "swiveling" and "stirring" motions are relatively easy. Use your fingers to feel for soft-tissue restrictions where the humerus articulates with the scapula. Add passive or active humeral rotation, circumduction, etc., in combination with your finger pressure to free up movement and release any restrictions you find. The glenohumeral joint capsule's deepest layers are the joint's ligaments and synovial membranes (light blue). Encasing these is a tough sheath of connective tissue (not shown), which forms the outer layer of the capsule. Proximally, these layers blend with the outer edges of the glenoid labrum, the fibrocartilaginous lip of the glenoid fossa. Image courtesy Primal Pictures. Used with permission. the glenoid fossa. That makes this a useful technique for clients who have been diagnosed with labral tears or who still have symptoms after labral surgery (once an adequate time has passed for recovery from the surgery itself, of course). Your finger pressure is firm but sensitive, hunting all around the joint for thickened, hardened, or immobile tissues, and using your finger pressure, in combination with movement of the humerus, to release these areas. In addition to passive movement, you can also use your client's gentle active motions to release any restrictions found. Hint: be sure to keep your client truly on his or her side—not rolling partly forward or backward. This makes it easier to find the vertical balance point you need and avoids working the shoulder girdle in a protracted or retracted position. Of course, other factors can contribute to shoulder immobility; for instance, the muscles of the rotator cuff. In the next article, I'll discuss ways you can assess and work with those important shoulder structures, as well. is a lead instructor at Advanced-Trainings.com Inc., which offers continuing education DVDs and seminars throughout the United States and abroad. He is a Certified Advanced Rolfer and a Rolf Institute faculty member. NOTE 1. Frozen shoulder is used informally to describe a movement restriction of the glenohumeral joint, often with pain. I generally don't use the term in my practice—from a body-image perspective, frozen probably isn't a particularly constructive metaphor. In physical medicine, frozen shoulder is sometimes a less-preferred synonym for adhesive capsulitis, a specific condition of overall decrease in shoulder range of motion, linked to surgical findings of adherence of the capsule to the humeral head. Til Luchau (info@advanced-trainings.com) connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 121