Shoulder Pain?
Many of us will experience shoulder pain and one commonly overlooked area are the internal rotators of the shoulder. This has been stated as the number one cause of shoulder pain by some therapists. Take a quick look at your ranges and see where you stand. Lie down on the floor with your elbows flexed at 90 degrees and in line with your shoulders. The back of your arms should be touching the floor. Keep your shoulders set back into the floor, meaning – don’t allow your shoulders to slope forward. Stay in the same position and see how far you can bring your palm towards the floor without rounding your shoulders. While keeping your wrist flat, you should be able to come around a fist distance away from the floor. If you notice your internal rotation is very limited, try this:
Roll your chest – use a roller of softball, place your arm behind your back and roll out any tight spots – 2 minutes per side
Roll your lats – a roller works well. Start under the armpit and in a couple different spots, slowly roll back and forth to cross-fibre the lats while keeping your arm overhead – do 15+ pivots in each position
Roll your biceps – if you have a barbell, you can use the end of the bar that rolls. Most people should focus on the lateral part of the biceps – 2 minutes per side
Banded Bully Stretch – secure a band around head height. Place the band above the elbow and turn away from the attachment point. Bring the banded arm behind your body and your hand towards your opposite shoulder blade. Use your other hand to gently guide the stretch – hold 1-2 minutes per side
Once you’ve re-established some of your shoulder Range of Motion with the above exercises
Activate:
Shoulder Flip-Flops-- Lie on the ground face up, knees bent, arms at 90 deg as if you're about to perform a chest press. Set your shoulder blades "down and back." Maintaining shoulder blade "set" flip the fists forward, using your elbows as the fulcrum. Only flip as far forward as you can maintain the shoulder blade "set." Reverse direction going as far back as possible into the "flop" or stick-em-up position, again, always maintaining shoulder blade "set". Repeat 12-15 times in pain free ROM.
It’s always best to have a thorough assessment to see what is going on, as there are many reasons why you may have shoulder pain but see if this helps.
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