Massage Therapy Journal Winter 2024

Winter 2024 • 77

client to keep their palm facing downward while they extend their arm towards the ceiling without lifting their shoulder off the table. Note your findings. (See Image 5) Ask the client to bring their hands into a cuffed position behind their back to tighten some of the muscle fibers you activate. (See Image 6) Like the glutes, this places some stretch on the spindles and enhances the effect of the muscle-stim technique.

Image 4

Image 6

Now, reassess in the same manner as previously. Most likely, the client can extend their leg higher than before spindle stimulation. Repeat this process on the other side. (See Image 4) Spindle-Stim for the Rhomboids, Lower Traps and Posterior Rotator Cuff Weakness in the rhomboids, lower traps and rotator cuff muscles can significantly impact shoulder stability, posture and overall upper body function. The rhomboids and lower traps are essential for retracting and stabilizing the scapula. When they are weak, they contribute to abnormal scapular movements, rounded shoulders and forward head postures. The rotator cuff muscles provide dynamic stability to the shoulder joint. Weakness in these muscles might result in shoulder instability and improper positioning of the humeral head within the shoulder socket, which can lead to impingement syndrome, where the tendons of the rotator cuff are compressed during shoulder movements. Assess the strength and firing patterns of the rhombs, lower traps and rotator cuff by asking the

Apply a fast-paced oscillating maneuver over the rhomboids, lower traps and rotator cuff using your extended finger pads for two minutes. Again, work across the grain of the muscles and use slow inhalation and exhalation to enhance your results. Now, reassess in the same manner as previously. Most likely, the client can extend their arm (palm down) higher than before spindle stimulation. Repeat this process on the other side. Use spindle-stim techniques on the weak, adapted and inhibited muscles you encounter during sessions. While you’ll see an immediate improvement after one session, you’ll want to repeat spindle-stim regularly for lasting results over four to eight sessions. Whether we realize it or not, we are training our brains to facilitate tension in some muscles because of our postural habits. If we slump in front of computers, we get better and better at slumping as our brains facilitate this pattern for efficiency. Over time, there is a brain-body disconnect as the nervous system loses the ability to accurately sense and control muscle tone. Massage therapists can help relink the body and brain through spindle stim techniques that wake up inhibited or weakened muscles, improving muscular balance.

Image 5

amtamassage.org/mtj