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Orthopedic Massage: A Comprehensive Guide to Pain Relief and Recovery

Introduction

Orthopedic Massage stands out as a specialized approach within massage therapy, designed to tackle the root causes of musculoskeletal pain and support rehabilitation. Unlike the relaxation-focused traditional massage, this technique zeros in on specific issues, offering lasting relief and improved mobility. At Motility BodyWork in Tulsa, this method is a cornerstone of care, and this guide explores its techniques and advantages for those seeking Orthopedic Massage for Pain Relief or Orthopedic Massage for Injury Recovery.

 

Woman smiling with relaxed, pain-free shoulder after frozen shoulder treatment at Motility BodyWork.

At Motility BodyWork, I don’t have years of scientific analysis clouding my judgment. What I do have is an understanding of how the body works and what to do about it.

Here’s my theory. Around menopause, there are a lot of hormonal changes happening in the body. Some of those changes cause the muscles of the chest to tighten up. These muscles are directly connected to your humerus and to your shoulder blade. They are in a constantly contracted position and when you try to move your arm and stretch them out a little bit, there is often extreme pain. Many of my clients have reported things like difficulty getting dressed because they can’t move. It’s too painful. 

I recently had a client who came in with the symptoms. She had trouble sleeping because of the constant pain, she had trouble putting a shirt on because she couldn’t move her arm, and her whole demeanor was quite pessimistic because it felt so hopeless. Her search engine analysis of the situation didn’t give any hope either.

We started to work gently, within what her body would tolerate. If you try to force it, you won’t get any results at all, at least, not any good results. We used a laser to help the tissues start to relax. We then started gentle manual techniques to free up the facia on her chest. That was the main trouble. Once we started to get the facia free, we were able to get some pain-free movement. I took advantage of that to release the muscles a little bit further.

It took two more sessions to get full results and after each session, there was a huge improvement. She had hope again but it wasn’t just wishful thinking. It was hope that was grounded in the reality that good changes were happening.

Woman holding her shoulder in pain from frozen shoulder before receiving therapy.
Woman receiving gentle shoulder therapy to relieve frozen shoulder pain and improve mobility. Treatment can be scheduled at Motility Bodywork.

And the results stayed. When you work with the root of the problem and are not just doing superficial therapy, the results are often immediate, dramatic, and permanent.

 

 

How did we get these results? I worked with the facia. When the facia let go, the body no longer felt the need to use the muscles as protection.

This happens at a neurological level. The body felt safe and it was willing to let go. I didn’t force it to let go, I asked it to let go. When your body is involved in the healing process, the results are often immediate, dramatic, and permanent.

No, you don’t have to live with limited shoulder mobility. There are real solutions and real help to overcome this issue.

Woman holding her shoulder due to pain and stiffness from frozen shoulder.

Here’s what you can do at home. Assuming that your shoulder range of motion is still sufficient and it’s not totally locked down, I recommend hanging from a bar. Grasp a bar above your head, about shoulder width apart, and gently lower the weight of your body onto your arms. Just hang there. Allow the weight to stretch out your shoulders and your back. Doing this exercise multiple times a day will very often yield results, slowly but surely.