How to reduce your Shoulder Pain?

Shoulder pain is a common complaint in both the general public and athletes. Athletes that compete in throwing or hitting sports and have a high repetitive use of their shoulders are at most risk. In the general public shoulder pain can be a cause of poor posture and biomechanics resulted from a lack of movement and strength.

The group of muscles primarily responsible for stability of the glenohumeral joint is the rotator cuff muscles. There are four muscles that make up your rotator cuff - supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. These muscles work together to keep the head of the humerus in the glenoid cavity (or the ball in the socket). The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body but it sacrifices some stability to be able to achieve this. Shoulder dislocations are not uncommon especially in athletes who use their shoulders a lot.

The shoulder complex is one of the most complicated structures in the body. When most people think of the shoulder they think of the glenohumeral (GH) joint (the ball and socket joint of the shoulder) but this joint is only one of five joints that make up the shoulder complex. For the glenohumeral joint to function properly you require movement at the scapulothoracic (ST), acromioclavicular (AC) and sternoclavicular (SC) joints as well.

Shoulder pain can be caused by a wide range of factors. It could be from a tear to one of the rotator cuff muscles, ligament and joint damage from a impact to the shoulder or pain caused by poor biomechanics putting stress on different structures. If you are experiencing pain in your shoulder you should get it assessed properly to determine the cause. Once it has been assessed rehabilitation of the injury or pain should include ensuring that the shoulder is able to move through it’s full range of motion and be strong enough to keep the glenohumeral joint stable. Here are my favourite exercises for stability of the shoulder.

Theraband pull-a-parts are great for increasing scapulothoracic strength. The muscles that stabilise the scapular need to be strong enough to allow the glenohumeral joint to move while the scapular remains in the same place. Only after a certain degree of movement in the GH joint should the ST joint start to move.

Kettle bell presses are a great starting exercise for glenohumeral stability. Not only do they strengthen the serratus anterior (a scapular stabilising muscle) but they also require the rotator cuff muscles to activate to stabilise the head of the humerus. You don’t need to go too far in this movement, try to avoid rotating through the thoracic and ensure that the hand stays above the shoulder.

The arm bar is a more complicated exercise but a great one for anyone who is trying to improve their shoulder stability. The arm bar requires the rotator cuff muscles to stabilise the head of the humerus while adding some thoracic rotation. Again ensure that the hand holding the kettle bell stays above the shoulder at all times. Press the kettle bell towards the roof as you are rolling over and try to get your hip as close to the ground as possible.

If you are experiencing any shoulder pain and would like to start your journey out of pain then you can book and appointment here.