Shoulder Pain in the Triathlete

Triatheletes commonly suffer from shoulder pains.  This pain is usually felt either at the rotator cuff or between the shoulder blades. 

Stresses in these areas affect the triathelete’s performance long before they are even aware that they are having a problem. 

In this article:        

Repetitive Motion and Shoulder Injuries

Training Techniques and Shoulder Injuries

Muscles affected in Shoulder Injuries

ART and the treatment of Soft Tissue Injuries

Consider a triathlete experiencing pain in the rotator cuff.  Pain in the rotator cuff is often diagnosed as Swimmers Shoulder or Impingement Syndrome. Most treatments for this diagnosis focus only on the following major structures:

• Infraspinatus.
• Teres minor.
• Supraspinatus.
• Subscapularis.  (This is the most common structure involved in an impingement syndrome but is not the only factor to consider).
• Long head of the biceps tendon.

Rotator Cuff Muscles

Interactive Shoulder Copyright Primal Pictures Ltd.

However, this limited focus ignores numerous associated soft tissue structures (ligaments, muscles, blood vessels, fascia and nerves), which either caused the injury or whose restrictions greatly reduce an athlete’s performance level.  For example, swimmers often suffer from biomechanical restrictions in these primary swimming muscles:

• Latissimus Dorsi - A muscle that inserts into the Scapula and Humerus.
• Triceps - Mostly commonly the outer head.
• Deltoids - Medial, posterior and anterior sections.
• Psoas - Hip flexor that attaches to same general area as Latissimus Dorsi. A tight Psoas can cause a tight shoulder if you follow the kinetic chain.  The Psoas is also the most common muscle affected during the cycling portion of the race.
• Pectoralis Major/Minor - Flexes, adducts and medially rotates the arm.

Considering More Structures

Interactive Shoulder Copyright Primal Pictures Ltd.

Effective treatment of shoulder problems, or of any soft tissue injury (ligaments, muscles, blood vessels, fascia and nerves), requires an alteration in tissue structure to break up the restrictive cross-fiber adhesions and to restore normal function to the affected soft tissue areas. When executed properly, this process:

• Substantially decreases healing time.
• Treats the root cause of the injury.
• Improves athletic performance.

Active Release Technique (ART^®) is very successful at treating this type of injury since it removes the restrictive adhesions between both the superficial and deep tissue areas.  In fact ART has been shown to be over 90% effective for treating a broad range of soft tissue injuries.

Trained ART practitioners perform a biomechanical analysis of athletes to determine where the restrictions are located along the entire kinetic chain.  ART treatments are specific and based upon the individual needs of each athlete. It is not a cookbook approach to treating a non-specific diagnosis.

ART Practitioners at Hawaiian Ironman World Triathlon Championship.

ART^® finds the specific tissues that are restricted and physically works them back to its normal texture, tension, and length by using various hand positions and soft tissue manipulation methods. 

While breaking up the adhesions can be uncomfortable at times, it is a good sign if we reproduce the pain symptoms during the treatment, since this often indicates that the correct soft tissue structures are being addressed.

Once the soft tissue (ligaments, muscles, blood vessels, fascia and nerves) has returned to its normal state, specific exercises are prescribed.

Unlike most therapies, ART® does not require extended periods of rest before you notice results. You usually see significant improvements to the injured area after only two to three sessions.  It is also not uncommon, after only a few sessions, to see a considerable improvement in the athlete’s best personal performance. 

ART Practitioners at Hawaiian Ironman World Triathlon Championship.