Shoulder pain is pretty common and can have many causes.
The causes can range from actual injury, to work related posture. While injuries caused by trauma have more obvious origins, what about those nagging pains that just seemed to come up slowly out of the blue?
The shoulder is an extraordinary structure. It allows for diverse movements, but like anything that moves a lot; it has the potential to move too much. To prevent the shoulder from falling into painful movement patterns, you need to keep it strong and hold your posture in positions that allow it to move optimally.
The causes can range from actual injury, to work related posture. While injuries caused by trauma have more obvious origins, what about those nagging pains that just seemed to come up slowly out of the blue?
The shoulder is an extraordinary structure. It allows for diverse movements, but like anything that moves a lot; it has the potential to move too much. To prevent the shoulder from falling into painful movement patterns, you need to keep it strong and hold your posture in positions that allow it to move optimally.
Many of those slow to onset pains really aren't that complicated. They become complicated when you want to find more convenient solutions than to do your corrective exercises!
If you're someone who is inactive and has an aversion to exercise; what can I tell you? Your solutions will be much harder to find and you'll be more likely to need to seek more invasive intervention.
First off, if you're hunched foreword all day, leaning into a computer screed; you're a prime candidate for shoulder pain. You may also exhibit an exagerated curve in the upper back, which further increases the likelihood of developing complications in the shoulder region.
For this I recommend:
Postural wall exercise
The posterior aspects of the average persons shoulders are commonly weak. To improve that condition I recommend:
External rotations or External rotation (dumbbell)
Another great exercise for strengthening this area is:
Drawing the sword
Don't use high resistance for this exercise.
Step 1: attach your tubing to a low height level or use a pulley machine
Step 2: leading with the elbow, pull the resistance until the elbow is at a maximum distance pointing toward the ceiling.
Step 3: extend the lower portion of the arm upward. Return to the starting position reversing the steps. Repeat for a total of 10-15 times on each arm. Do 3-4 sets and do the exercise 3 times per week.
Shoulder problems are often accompanied by weakness in the muscles between the shoulder blades. To correct this I recommend:
Back and shoulder extensions
Avoid over head lifting and hold off on chest presses for a couple of weeks. Be patient, strengthening muscles takes time, but you should see some positive changes after about 2-3 weeks.
Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.
If you're someone who is inactive and has an aversion to exercise; what can I tell you? Your solutions will be much harder to find and you'll be more likely to need to seek more invasive intervention.
First off, if you're hunched foreword all day, leaning into a computer screed; you're a prime candidate for shoulder pain. You may also exhibit an exagerated curve in the upper back, which further increases the likelihood of developing complications in the shoulder region.
For this I recommend:
Postural wall exercise
The posterior aspects of the average persons shoulders are commonly weak. To improve that condition I recommend:
External rotations or External rotation (dumbbell)
Another great exercise for strengthening this area is:
Drawing the sword
Don't use high resistance for this exercise.
Step 1: attach your tubing to a low height level or use a pulley machine
Step 2: leading with the elbow, pull the resistance until the elbow is at a maximum distance pointing toward the ceiling.
Step 3: extend the lower portion of the arm upward. Return to the starting position reversing the steps. Repeat for a total of 10-15 times on each arm. Do 3-4 sets and do the exercise 3 times per week.
Shoulder problems are often accompanied by weakness in the muscles between the shoulder blades. To correct this I recommend:
Back and shoulder extensions
Avoid over head lifting and hold off on chest presses for a couple of weeks. Be patient, strengthening muscles takes time, but you should see some positive changes after about 2-3 weeks.
Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.
Hi Sean, I get pain in my right shoulder quite often. At least I think it’s my shoulder because it radiates down more into my bicep area. What can that be? I find it feels better after I do that postural wall exercise but then it slowly comes back.
That area you described is a pretty common area for problems in your shoulder to manifest pain. If the postural wall exercise calms it, even for a short period; it’s a pretty good possibility that your shoulders are held too far forward. If you work at a computer, make sure you can rest your forearms on the arm rests of the chair while you manipulate the keyboard AND mouse. Without arm rests on the chair, you can really cause the shoulders to roll forward and that in it self can cause your pain. Do you get numbing down the arm and into the hand?