Do you remember the days of the oscillating sprinkler?

A cool spray and a warm summer day are the things memories are made of, aren’t they?

I think the memory of running through the oscillating sprinkler at my grandparent’s home is the reason that I hang onto the one I have.  I do set it up on rare occasions…to water the bushes in the front yard!…but every time I do I relish my opportunity to remember good in my childhood.  I remember my little lime green bikini.  I remember my uncle squirting me with the hose as he washed his care.  I remember the rolls of sprinkler hose that my grandfather used to set up in the front yard just so – he was always so particular about his front yard grass.  And I remember feeling the fun in the simplicity of it all.

Warmly,
Monica

What’s the Rotator Cuff?

A group of 4 muscles:
Suprapinatus
Infraspinatus
Teres Minor
Subscapularis

These muscles line the front and in back of your scapula.  It takes its name because of the ‘cuff’ of each of their tendons that attaches side by side on the head of the humerus.

In a nutshell…
…the supraspinatus moves arm away from side of body straight out to side. This muscle refers pain to shoulder and top of arm.

…the infraspinatus moves arm once it has moved away from side of body and straight out, backwards (behind body) and rotates it so palm is up.

…the trees minor works in tandem with infraspinatus and refers pain if affected to same area, the outer part of arm

…the subscapularis rotates arm from a palm up position to a palm down position and refers pain to back side of arm and into wrist.  As the chief stabilizer to the shoulder joint it stresses out with heavy or repetitive lifting.  It is easily overlooked by a LMT who is hurrying.

Surgery can alter your anatomy and the usual, palpable landmarks a massage therapist looks for will be missing or moved.  Ask you doc for a thorough description of what he or she did during the operation and make sure you let you LMT know.  It makes therapy sessions more productive!