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About Julie Donnelly, LMT
Expertise
I can accept questions that relate to chronic or acute pain caused by muscle spasms and contractions. Repetitive Strain Injury is actually Cumulative Trauma to muscles. Releasing the spasm &/or contraction will relieve the strain that is felt at the insertion point on the bone.

Experience

Past/Present clients
Privacy prevents me from filling in this section without prior consent from my clients.
Life Experience: I began to get interested in the treatment of muscle spasms and contractions while I lived in Honolulu, HI. A sailing friend had severe pain following raceing each week. He would lie on the grass, bearly able to breathe from the pain in his back. I would rub his back, feeling "bumps" that I would "smooth out", and his pain would completely go away. This intrigued me, until I eventually went to school to learn how to be a Massage Therapist. I went to work on a cruise ship and had the experience of working on approximately 3000 people in one year - a great opportunity to really feel muscle spasms and contractions! I concentrated on thoroughtly learning one muscle every day, locating it on each client, and feeling "what hurts & what doesn't hurt". A six month stay in St. Thomas, USVI, was beneficial because I worked with an Osteopath who taught me excellent release techniques that I still use. Next I moved to Hawaii and worked in a clinic that only treated chronic pain patients. It was in Hawaii that I wrote my first book "Massage Therapy Healing Techniques Workbook". It was written for massage therapists and was a compilation of treatments for very specific painful conditions. The book was revised in 1996 and a companion video was added at that time. In 1995 I suffered with Frozen Shoulder - an incredibly painful condition. I was told I'd never be able to regain full range-of-motion in my shoulder. I did deep muscle therapy on myself, while a friend work where I couldn't reach. The condition healed 100%. In 1997 I developed carpal tunnel syndrome that put me out of business. Surgery was recommended, I refused because of my awareness that scar tissue from the surgery could be more detrimental than carpal tunnel syndrome. Using the knowledge I had gained through the years, especially what I had learned through the Frozen Shoulder episode, enabled me to work out what was REALLY causing the carpal tunnel condition. I worked each affected muscle, and eventually regained 100% use of my hand, completely pain free. I quickly began to treat my clients using this new knowledge, and soon afterward began teaching them how to do the self-treatment techniques. It worked everytime, except a person had already had surgery! I began clinical trials at a medical facility, where I still teach the techniques with incredible success. In 1999 Zev Cohen, MD, who was working with me developing the carpal tunnel treatment, joined me in the business. We wanted to bring this effective technique to the world, not limited to only our town. In 2000 I published my second book "How To Be Pain-less...A Beginner's Guide To The Self Treatment of Muscle Spasms". In this book, using 114 photographs, I show how to self-treat muscles throughout the body. In the summer of 2000, Dr. Cohen and I produced an instructional video teaching the carpal tunnel self treatment, and in March 2001 we opened a web site (www.aboutcts.com) to teach people about the muscular component of carpal tunnel syndrome, and to share the self-treatment system with the public.

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Repetitive Strain Injury - Shoulder pain

Expert: Julie Donnelly, LMT - 10/31/2009

Question
Hi, I play volleyball and the other day after our game where i spiked the ball 10-15 times, the back of my shoulder began to hurt. It is very tender to touch but does hurt when i move it. The season just ended and Basketball tryouts are coming up, and i want to know if i should be able to play.
Thanks for your help!

Answer
Hi Lee Anne,

I've worked with thousands of athletes through the years, and I am certain that if you treat your muscles to release the tension caused by the repetitive strain injuries that you'll be just fine for basketball. As you are aware, it's all of the muscles of your shoulder and upper arm, but also you need to treat your pectoralis minor, latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior, levator scapulae, biceps, triceps, and trapezius muscles. You can do a search on the internet and find really good graphics of each muscle.

The problem you're having is they all pull the shoulder in different directions, and they are all repetitively strained, tight, and pulling in different directions. Fortunately they are very easy to self-treat, but I suggest you take care of it before you start to play again.

If you go to http://www.julstro.com you can read all about repetitive strain injuries. I suggest you also read the sections titled "Muscles and Pain" and "What's Happening Exactly," and then go to the forum on the site and read any threads that have to do with shoulder pain. There is a lot of information and it will help you sort this whole thing out.

Given how you love to play sports, it's beneficial for you to learn self-treatment so you can take care of your muscles at the end of a hard game. However, you could also go to a good massage therapist and have the muscles treated on a regular basis. I suggest, if you go that route, that you find someone who knows how to do trigger point therapy. In either case, releasing the tension in your muscles will have you ready for basketball in short order.

Have a great season!

Wishing you well,
Julie Donnelly

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