Sports Massage For Deltoid Muscle
Tension & Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is a common problem that can affect everyday activities, exercise and work. One possible muscular cause is excessive tension through the deltoid muscle, particularly the anterior deltoid that can be found at the front of the shoulder. The deltoid is a large muscle covering the shoulder joint and plays an important role in lifting and controlling the arm. The muscle can be split up into the anterior, middle and posterior deltoid, the anterior deltoid works during shoulder flexion and assists with movements that bring the arm forwards and upwards. Repetitive or excessive strain can leave this area feeling tight, tender and painful. This is particularly common following activities such as weight training, repetitive lifting and physically demanding occupations.
Deltoid Tension and Biceps Tendinitis
Anterior shoulder pain may involve more than one structure, the anterior deltoid muscle lies close to the long head of the biceps tendon, and irritation associated with biceps tendinitis or tendinopathy can contribute to pain around the front of the shoulder.
Repetitive lifting, pulling, pressing and overhead movements can place considerable demand on the anterior shoulder, when the biceps tendon or surrounding tissues become irritated, the deltoid may become tense and guarded in response. Elevation of the shoulder can become painful and difficult as a result. Activuties such as lifting the arm forwards or overhead, putting on clothing, reaching for objects or performing exercises such as shoulder presses and front raises can become painful and in more irritated cases, pain can significantly restrict normal shoulder movement.
What Causes Deltoid Muscle Tension?
Weight training is a common trigger for deltoid muscle pain and irritation including repeatitive shoulder presses, bench presses, front raises and other upper-body exercises place considerable demands on the anterior shoulder. Sudden increases in training volume, inadequate recovery or repeatedly training through discomfort can contribute to muscular soreness, irritation and tension.
Sports massage is frequently used following exercise to help with recovery. Research suggests massage can provide a small reduction in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and may produce small improvements in flexibility [1].
Shoulder tension is not restricted to people who exercise, individuals that spend long periods sitting at a desk or working on a computer can contribute to poor movement and postural habits. Sedentary lifestyles often lead to shoulder and upper-back musclular stiffness as postures remain in fixed positions for hours at a time, particularly when regular movement breaks are not taken. Tradespeople and manual workers may develop similar symptoms for different reasons. Repeated lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, drilling, painting and working with the arms overhead can continually load the deltoid and surrounding shoulder muscles. Over time, insufficient recovery between physically demanding activities may contribute to pain and muscular tension.
How Can Sports Massage Help?
Sports massage can be used directly through tight and tender areas of the deltoid and surrounding shoulder musculature. Treatment may include soft-tissue massage, compression, kneading and more targeted techniques to areas of increased muscular tension. Research into sports massage suggests that its benefits relate to recovery, including reductions in muscle soreness and small improvements in flexibility rather than directly improving strength or sporting performance [1]. A broader systematic review has similarly examined the effects of massage therapy on exercise and sporting performance [2].
For somebody experiencing a tight and painful anterior deltoid, sports massage may help reduce the sensation of muscular tension and soreness and make movement feel more comfortable. Treatment aims to improve circulation of blood within the local muscle tissues and should address the cause as well as the symptoms. Thus, if the shoulder continues to be excessively loaded at the gym or at work, or remains relatively static for long periods while working at a computer, symptoms may return or persist. Daily lifestyle factors must be taken into consideration and altered to seek improvement.
Combining Sports Massage with Acupuncture
Medical acupuncture or dry needling can be incorporated into treatment when appropriate. Fine needles are inserted into selected muscular areas, including myofascial trigger points and areas of increased muscular tension. Dry needling may produce physiological effects within myofascial trigger points and the surrounding neuromuscular system, although the exact mechanisms responsible for these effects are still being investigated [3].
Some patients experience a rapid reduction in muscular tension and pain following needling. Research investigating dry needling for myofascial shoulder pain in athletes has found evidence of short-term improvements in pain and shoulder function, although further research is required [4].
Combining sports massage with acupuncture can therefore provide a useful treatment approach for muscular shoulder tension. Massage can work more broadly through the deltoid and surrounding soft tissues, while acupuncture or dry needling can target particularly tense or irritable muscular areas.
Shoulder pain should always be properly assessed rather than automatically assumed to originate from the deltoid. Persistent pain, significant weakness, traumatic injury or a marked inability to elevate the arm may indicate involvement of the rotator cuff, biceps tendon, shoulder joint or other structures and may require further investigation.
References
[1] Davis, H.L., Alabed, S. and Chico, T.J.A. (2020) ‘Effect of sports massage on performance and recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis’, BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 6(1), e000614.
[2] Davis, N., Tošić, S., Lung, A., Stojanović, E., Pappas, E., Sermaxhaj, S. and Manojlović, M. (2023) ‘The effects of massage therapy on sport and exercise performance: a systematic review’, Sports, 11(6), 110.
[3] Cagnie, B., Dewitte, V., Barbe, T., Timmermans, F., Delrue, N. and Meeus, M. (2013) ‘Physiologic effects of dry needling’, Current Pain and Headache Reports, 17(8), 348.
[4] Demeco, A., de Sire, A., Salerno, A., Marotta, N., Palermi, S., Frizziero, A. and Costantino, C. (2024) ‘Dry needling in overhead athletes with myofascial shoulder pain: a systematic review’, Sports, 12(6), 156.
