Zen Len Massage Therapy

09/14/2025

08/09/2025

🔈 NECK, SHOULDER & BACK PAIN AS A RESULT OF CARRYING YOUR HANDBAG ON ONE SHOULDER

❄ WHY SHOULDN'T YOU CARRY YOUR HANDBAG THIS WAY?

Many women carry their handbags on one shoulder, and they tend to favor the dominant, stronger, or non-injured one. Even if the bag is empty and very light, the natural slope of the shoulder means they are going to have to elevate the scapula/shoulder girdle with contraction of the upper shoulders and neck to prevent the bag from sliding off. This isometric contraction overuses and abuses the muscles of the neck. If the bag is heavy, it's even worse because a more powerful muscular contraction is needed, and the strap of the bag digs into the musculature of the shoulder, causing direct physical irritation and cutting off local blood circulation.

❄ WHERE DOES THE PAIN COME FROM?

Due to your body’s efforts to redistribute the extra weight, your muscles tense more and as such become stiff. The trapezius muscle and the muscles that go from your shoulder to the base of your neck, which sits on top of your shoulders, may spasm and therefore tighten, resulting in a lot of stiffness in the upper back, shoulder area and neck. This may lead to pain when turning your head and the development of arthritis in the lower neck. Some may even develop tension headaches from constantly carrying heavy handbags. As the muscles in your shoulder and neck area spasm, it can result in pain from the back of your skull that radiates around to the front.

❄ ADVICE

It's better to either wear the bag across the body or to use a backpack.

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

05/16/2025

🔈 SERRATUS POSTERIOR INFERIOR - OVERLOOKED CAUSE OF LOWER BACK PAIN

You have a client who tells you this:

'I reached for something and suddenly I felt a sharp spasm in the lower part of my back, slightly to the side of the spine, at the bottom of the ribs, and when I breathe in really deep I can feel it'.

Based on the above description you should suspect that you might be dealing with the Serratus Posterior Inferior muscle.

💡 Where is the Serratus Posterior Inferior muscle?

The Serratus Posterior Inferior muscle connects the lower 4 ribs to four vertebrae (T11, T12, L1, L2) in the low back.

💡 What movements does the Serratus Posterior Inferior muscle control?

✔️ Forced expiration (breathing out when breathing hard)
✔️ Assists with twisting at the waist
✔️ Assists with straightening the trunk (standing up straight)

💡 Activities that cause Serratus Posterior Inferior pain and symptoms:

✔️ Twisting the body when lifting
✔️ Overreaching overhead or to the side of the body
✔️ Lifting something heavy using the back muscles instead of leg muscles
✔️ Sleeping on a sagging or too soft mattress

ℹ️ Trigger Points

Trigger points in the Serratus Posterior Inferior may cause an uncommon local ache radiating over and around the muscle.

This may extend across the back and over the lower ribs, even continuing through the chest to the front of the body.

This discomfort is typically described by clients as a nagging ache.

In many cases this pain remains after other trigger points have been inactivated. This should be a good indicator for the therapist to recheck the Serratus Posterior Inferior for undiscovered trigger points.

👩‍🔬 Stretching for self-release of the Serratus Posterior Inferior

Cross your forearms just above the wrist, at about chest height. Inhale deeply as you slowly raise them up until the area where the arms cross is level with your forehead. Now lower the arms as you exhale.

Do this once or twice, allowing for a brief rest (a few breaths) before repeating. Do this exercise set several times a day.

04/23/2025

03/18/2025

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