The shoulder is an extremely complex and often misunderstood joint. By design, the shoulder happens to be the more mobile joint in your body, and as such, it’s also the most unstable. Very small, incorrect movements can change the function of the shoulder and lead to issues within the joint. Before we can understand how to care for this delicate and highly important part of our bodies, we should look at how it works.
The stabilizers that support the joint are important. In the case of the shoulder, the rotator cuff muscles and scapular stabilizers work to keep the shoulder doing what it does best and continue to have full rotation and function.
The rotator cuff: This is often the area of the shoulder that finds itself injured throughout one’s life. Essentially, your rotator cuff is a capsule with fused tendons. These support the arm right at the shoulder joint. Tears in the area can be common, so training to the area, including strengthening the movement patterns in the area is highly important for athletes and non-athletes alike. Many people assume that if the pain isn’t present, neither is an injury. On the contrary, it’s more often than you think that people who have tears in their rotator cuff don’t experience noticeable pain.
Common Rotator Cuff Injuries
These small muscles have a big job to do daily. Impingement, or the grinding of these tiny muscles, can happen if the shoulder isn’t working properly. If you’re unsure if this has happened to you, simply rotate your shoulder completely. If you hear a pop at any point during the rotation, it may be impingement at work. Although it may not feel disruptive or painful now, these small rips and tears can cause a larger problem later.
Strengthening the Rotator Cuff
For the continued health of the rotator cuff, train the area with external rotations several times a week. If you’re unsure of if there is something happening in the area that you may not have spotted, you can perform a flexion exercise as a warm-up to your exercise routine, and test your current movement levels. For instance, with your back pressed to a wall, raise your arms above your head completely. Are you able to complete this movement? Are you in pain? Is your lower back working to relieve any pressure? If the latter two are true for you, it’s a sign that you’ve lost important movement in that area.
Keeping the Shoulder Healthy
If you’re having serious pain or issues with the movement of the shoulder, all strengthening exercises should be ceased until you meet with a doctor. The problem may be severe and require physical therapy or surgery. Your doctor may recommend certain movement pattern practices that can help strengthen and stabilize a compromised shoulder. Regardless, if the injury is serious, any exercises may only relieve symptoms momentarily.
However, if your joint isn’t compromised, there are exercises and habits you can keep up with on a daily basis to continue to promote healthy functions:
- Maintain good posture
- Keep training or strenuous overhead activities to a minimum
- Cease activity when you feel a strain or pain
- If the discomfort lasts for more than a few days, consult a physician