A very common complaint many people have is some form of shoulder pain when lifting their arms overhead. This motion is involved in many activities and can hold you back from performing at your best, or completing the activity without pain ex) throwing, racket sports, volleyball, golf, weight-lifting, rock climbing, etc.
Regardless of the location of your shoulder pain (upper trap, front/back of shoulder, shoulder blade, or chest) there are a few simple strategies you can try to reduce your pain FAST! Below are 3 excellent strategies to start reducing your shoulder pain today!
REMEMBER nothing beats getting evaluated by your local healthcare provider to obtain a proper diagnosis and treatment plan in order to see the best possible results.
Upper back mobility – By far one of the easiest ways to reduce shoulder pain with overhead activities is to improve your upper back extension, and rotation. Your shoulder blade is designed to slide and glide on your rib cage when performing various motions. These motions are often complex and can require different things from the shoulder depending on the load, speed, and arm angle of the overhead motions (ex, throwing a ball vs doing a pull up) . If your upper back cannot extend or twist side-to-side freely with rotational motions, your shoulder blade likely is not moving as well as it could. The result of this is your glenohumeral joint (where your upper arm bone meets your shoulder blade) will pick up the slack for this inadequate upper back/shoulder blade mobility and become hypermobile/unstable. This hypermobility/instability often causes rotator cuff impingement, and even tears in the shoulder muscles with repetitive overuse. Luckily for you adding a few simple thoracic spine mobility exercises to your warm up will almost always IMMEDIATELY improve your upper back mobility and reduce the shoulder pain.
Myofascial release – With any motion that is performed repeatedly comes some form of adaptation by the body. Unfortunately this is adaptation can present itself in the form of a “knot” or a “trigger point” in your muscle. Knots/trigger points are often tender to the touch and feel slightly dense or fibrotic. These knots/trigger points not only produce pain, but often limit range of motion and create poor movement quality. Luckily for you, knots/trigger points can be easily treated by your healthcare provider who is skilled in muscle release techniques! Some effective techniques include: myofascial release, active release, graston, cupping, acupuncture, etc. (You may even successfully treat them on your own with a lacrosse ball or foam roller).
Decrease forward Head posture – We have all caught ourselves leaning over our computers or phones with terrible posture and think to ourselves “I need to stop doing that!”. Well guess what? Lifting is no different! One of the most common causes of shoulder pain/loss of mobility is poor head positioning when lifting your arms overhead. Next time you are lifting focus on keeping your ear in line with your upper back and watch your shoulder range of motion improve and your shoulder pain reduce! If you find it difficult to achieve this position with your neck, chiropractic manipulation can quickly help improve the flexibility of your neck, as well as help you improve your posture!
If you would like to get rid of your shoulder pain, don’t hesitate to book an exam/treatment TODAY! OR if you think that this information could help someone you know (family, friend, coworker, spouse, loved one), forward them this blog or direct them to our website, (www.foundationkelowna.com), Instagram, or facebook for more information.
REMEMBER, we also offer FREE 15 minute in person consultations where we can decide if Foundation Chiropractic and Sports Therapy is the right fit for you!
