Overview 

Learn Muscle Energy Technique Shoulder Rotator Cuff Pain today. If you’re suffering from rotator cuff pain, don’t worry! It’s completely treatable. For those with shoulder pain due to rotator cuff tendonitis, inflammation, or impingement, applying a Muscle Energy Technique (MET) may be just what you need to treat your condition and get back to your daily activities without pain interfering with your quality of life. In fact, our recommended treatment is one of the most effective non-surgical solutions available today.

Related Article: Neck and Shoulder Office Exercise

Why do we need rotator cuff muscles?

According to Athwal (2017), the rotator cuff is a set of four muscles that form a “cuff” over the head of the humerus via tendons. The scapula leads to the four muscles that make up the following muscles:

Photo courtesy of A.D.A.M., INC.

The larger and lesser tuberosities are where the rotator cuff tendons join to the humeral head. These muscles altogether allow the rotator cuff to perform its important role of arm lifting and rotation as well as the stabilization of the shoulder’s ball within the joint (Maruvada et al., 2021)

What is a Muscle Energy Technique (MET)?

Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is a type of soft tissue manipulation used to treat muscle imbalances and other issues. This was developed by Fred Mitchell, Sr. and Fred Mitchell, Jr. In MET, small contractions are used to stretch a tight muscle while they’re in their shortened state. The purpose of MET is to gain control over trigger points and improve mobility in muscles with limited range of motion. MET is an active approach in which the patient acts as in active participation, as opposed to static stretching, which is a passive technique in which the therapist does all of the work.

MET can be beneficial for improving stability in both shoulders. Athletes who perform overhead movements, like baseball pitchers or swimmers, tend to experience shoulder pain due to injuries like rotator cuff tears or labral problems. While steroids injections can help reduce shoulder pain and inflammation caused by these conditions. They only treat symptoms—not underlying causes of shoulder pain. In addition, it may have negative side effects if not administered correctly by professionals.

Related Article: Muscle Energy Technique Your Therapist Does For You

When should you use muscle energy technique (MET)?

Muscle Energy Techniques can be utilized for any issue where the goal is to relax and lengthen muscles while also improving joint range of motion (ROM). Almost any joint in the body can be safely treated with METs. A lot of athletes employ MET as a prophylactic treatment to avoid muscle and joint injury in the future. It is mostly utilized by those who have limited range of motion in their neck and back owing to facet joint dysfunction. Likewise, for larger issues including shoulder discomfort, scoliosis, sciatica, asymmetrical legs, hips, arms. It could also treat persistent muscular pain, stiffness, or injury.

Muscle Energy Technique (MET) for Shoulder Rotator Cuff Pain

How do you perform Muscle Energy Technique (MET)?

Muscle energy technique is effective for shoulder pain relief and it’s easy to learn which is why its use in recent years have increased. Here’s how you can do it for your patients. 

Physical Examination (Muscle Energy Technique Shoulder)

You will have to look at the natural range or passive range of movement of the patient. Have your client lie supine and you move their arm into abduction to a 90° angle.

Bend the elbow and passively check for external rotation of the shoulder as seen in the photo below. You are assessing their current ROM or the limits to their range of motion, normal range should be between 80 and 90°. If the range of external rotation is less than these numbers it can indicate that either the pectoralis major, the latissimus dorsi, and/or the teres major may be inhibited and shortened, which decreases this range performed within the upper extremity.

Next, check the internal range of the arm. Move the arm passively into internal rotation. The normal range is 70° to 90° with any limitations perhaps coming from dysfunctions in either or both the subscapularis or teres minor muscles. We also note for any ‘hard end feel’ which may indicate bony issues which means we would do further joint assessments.

Performing Muscle Energy Treatment (MET) Shoulder

Move their forearm into an external rotation to perform MET. It is important that you stop at the first point where you feel restriction of the tissues. This is called Point of Bind and is at this length of the tissues that we get optimum results. They contract back towards internal rotation at 40% of the effort and no more; it is an isometric contraction where you are stabilizing the wrist and elbow to keep the joints motionless. This contraction is held for approximately 7 to 10 seconds. Ask your patient to take a deep cleansing breath and as they exhale they stop applying pressure of the muscle contraction. Keep in mind that it’s important that their arm doesn’t move. You will still be holding the wrist and elbow through the entire procedure and finding a new point of bind after each of the post-contraction relaxation phases.

Post-contraction Relaxation Phase

This time called Post-contraction Relaxation is when the tissues that had been contracting relax even further. We stay in limb ‘stiffness’ for up to 90 seconds and in this time the muscles relax even further so that we find the new passive end range or apply our new point of bind. Ask the patient to apply the contraction into internal rotation, still at 30% to 40% of their effort. This contraction again should be a minimum of 7 – 10 seconds. We get them to take cleansing breaths on each exhalation to improve the parasympathetic effect on the tissues; they can relax their muscle contraction as they breathe out.

Important Notes

Do the technique 3 times to see the most effective changes. Tell them to take a deep cleansing breath and that they relax the muscle contractions as they exhale. We reassess the ROM of external rotation after the third contraction and relaxation phase and we should see greater evidence of improved length through that range of motion.

This is a gentle technique for patients that feel pain and/or for those with issues in their range of motion. You might not want to use this treatment when there’s a bony block when you test out the ranges. Be aware that if there’s a joint restriction, we’d apply a mobilization technique or we’ll adjust something deeper into that joint capsule.

Related Article: Best Pain-Free Subscapularis Massage for Shoulder Pain

Watch this Video

Here’s the most effective video where you can see how to do this Muscle Energy Technique. It’s a simple yet effective way to address the restrictions created by hypertonic internal rotators and gives more balance to their external rotator counterparts! Watch to go through these steps so you can practice from your clinic and also what homecare you can offer your patients when they are not in your practice.

References

Athwal, G. S. (2017, March). Rotator Cuff Tears. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/rotator-cuff-tears-frequently-asked-questions/

Maruvada, S., Madrazo-Ibarra, A., & Varacallo, M. (2021, May 8). Anatomy, Rotator Cuff – StatPearls. NCBI. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441844/