Better Shoulder Mobility through Corrective Exercise
As a Personal Trainer, I know how important shoulder mobility is and how much it can influence an exercise program. The shoulder anatomy is intricate, and it is vital to understand how corrective exercise can improve shoulder mobility issues. There could be several types of shoulder mobility issues present at once contributing to poor mobility. Let’s explore what these issues can be and how they can develop.
Types of Shoulder Mobility Issues
Mobility issues that develop in the shoulder can result from several types of activity or inactivity. Some of the most common types of shoulder mobility issues are impingement, rotator cuff tears, and frozen shoulder. Instability and overuse of the joint cause many of these. The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the human body. It is made up of the humerus, scapula, and clavicle bones, with many ligaments, tendons, and muscles in the adjoining anatomy.
When you have a joint providing an increased range of motion, it is capable of producing a lot more movement. This creates uncertainty and a higher susceptibility for shoulder pain and shoulder conditions that I have seen as a Personal Trainer. The shoulder performs a variety of movements:
Adduction
Abduction
Flexion
Extension
Internal rotation
External rotation
Impingement
A poorly positioned humerus bone in the shoulder socket impinges on the tendons and bursa in the shoulder. The constant rubbing from arm movement aggravates the shoulder region including the rotator cuff. This leads to inflammation in the area and can cause bursitis or tendonitis. Overhead reaching is a movement highly affected by impingement and if you are experiencing pain and weakness of muscles while performing this motion, you could have shoulder impingement.
You must address the issues right away to avoid any further shoulder mobility issues. Unaddressed shoulder impingement can cause a rotator cuff tear from the constant grinding of the humerus bone on the tendons. With the shoulder being a ball and socket joint, the head of the humerus is sitting in the shoulder socket. The goal is to have the head of the humerus bone move freely in the shoulder socket or blade, without any disruption.
Torn Rotator Cuff
If you develop a rotator cuff tear, you will be in much more pain and experience an immense amount of movement dysfunction. The rotator cuff’s key role is to stabilize the shoulder joint. It helps keep the humerus in the shoulder socket. Four muscles make up the rotator cuff:
Supraspinatus
Infraspinatus
Teres minor
Subscapularis
Make sure that if you initially have a partial tear of the tendon, you do not continue to put any load on the shoulder. This could cause a complete tear. Degeneration of the shoulder through repetitive stress is the most common cause of a rotator cuff tear but adding resistance will make it even worse. The constant wear and tear this muscle group undergoes causes it to deteriorate enough. Poor shoulder mobility not only results from movement dysfunction but also improper technique and extra load or resistance. This is why it is especially important to address signs of these types of issues immediately with corrective exercise to prevent further damage.
Frozen Shoulder
In many circumstances, we overlook our lifestyle habits, but they are major contributors to these mobility issues. Every muscle in the shoulder contributes to certain movements, but as humans, we use our arms every day in all different directions. When a person encounters a more serious mobility issue or injury, they become more vulnerable to frozen shoulder.
Frozen shoulder usually develops in individuals who are recovering from an injury or surgery. It is a condition causing stiffness and pain, creating more difficulty in joint motion. This is a result of non-use of the shoulder. Being proactive in the rehab process and understanding the right phases to start stretching and strengthening the area will help avoid creating more mobility issues.
Common Causes of Poor Shoulder Mobility
As a Personal Trainer, I must observe and interpret how closely related shoulder mobility issues are to my client’s lifestyle habits. This will help discover what might be causing poor shoulder mobility. Achieving optimal balance in the shoulder joint is crucial. Even though the shoulder has incredible flexibility, it is very susceptible to developing poor mobility.
Force Coupling
An important part of keeping the versatility of the shoulder joint is force coupling. Force coupling is when two equal and opposite forces act upon one another to produce rotational movement. In other words, as one muscle works and produces movement, another is acting against it to keep the shoulder stabilized. This is important to understand because poor mobility can result from unequal forces pulling against one another. This leads to muscle imbalances later amplified by lifestyle activities, posture, and exercise.
The scapula bone, one of the three bones that make up the shoulder, is essentially a “floating” bone. The scapula plays a vital role in stabilizing the shoulder to allow for free movement in the joint. For this bone to allow for rotational movement the trapezius and serratus anterior pull against each other. Knowing this type of information can help you pinpoint problem areas more efficiently.
Inactivity
One of the most common causes of poor shoulder mobility is not actually from movement, but instead inactivity. Frozen shoulder is always a concern due to inactivity and being the most mobile joint in the human body, it has a high desire to move often. Flexibility only remains through unrestricted movement. If you are inactive for a prolonged period of time this can cause restriction to how you move and the way you move.
If connective tissue becomes tight or weak, the stability and flexibility of the shoulder joint become less. Even though stiffness and pain develop from inactivity, frozen shoulder is still much more common in those recovering from an injury or surgery. Movement of the arm and shoulder joint is usually severely limited with a medical condition, which causes adhesive capsulitis. The shoulder capsule will thicken and tighten with frozen shoulder giving it its name of adhesive capsulitis.
Poor posture
This also contributes to impingement issues due to internal rotation of the shoulders. With internal rotation, the humerus bone will tilt and sit improperly in the shoulder socket. Upon movement with this positioning, a person could experience aggravation to the tendons. This creates inflammation within the connective tissue causing shoulder pain. Focus on fixing forward posture can help avoid impingement, but more importantly internal rotation of the shoulders. If you begin to experience inflammation in the shoulder, bursitis or tendonitis could be present.
Lack of Stability
Often, a person’s shoulder is not stable to begin with, due to lack of strength and flexibility. Many exercise movements use the shoulder, so you need to ensure it is strong and stable. This is important because with exercise comes increased load in addition to the original movement dysfunction a person has. Improper technique can compromise areas like the rotator cuff. We see this often in athletes depending on the type of sport they play. Most sports involve having to use one side of the body more than the other. Athletes also constantly produce repetitive movements causing limitations to the shoulder.
Corrective Exercises for Shoulder Mobility
Muscle strains, wearing of joints, and even nerve compression are complications to be aware of that cause poor shoulder mobility. If you have mobility problems in the shoulder joint, rotator cuff, or shoulder blades, you should avoid performing any movements that cause pain, tightness, or stiffness. Most of the time it is safe to assume a person experiencing poor shoulder mobility should not perform any overhead movements.
To assist in improving poor shoulder mobility you should perform corrective exercises. Corrective exercises for shoulder mobility will help improve range of motion and flexibility and alleviate pain present in the shoulders.
Aim to perform these seven corrective exercises for better shoulder mobility:
Wall Slides (scapula and overall mobility)
Internal and External Rotation (rotator cuff)
Prone T’s and Y’s (rotator cuff)
Towel stretch (frozen shoulder)
Outward and Inward Rotation (frozen shoulder)
Pec Stretch “TRX Chest Opener” (impingement)
Theraband Rows (impingement)
These exercises help with scapular movement and overall shoulder mobility. They will allow for movement and activation through the rotator cuff to help improve stabilizing the shoulder joint.
All seven of the exercises work problem areas for the shoulder to prevent and correct mobility issues. Use these to increase and improve range of motion and shoulder mobility even if you do not have poor mobility to start. Be proactive in obtaining the right exercise program for you. These stretches and exercises help relieve tight muscles that result from poor posture, prior injuries, poor technique, and inactivity.
Remember, it is always recommended you see a physician. X-rays and physical examinations will be performed to confirm shoulder conditions and you should never self-diagnose or be diagnosed by anyone other than a licensed physician. It is also highly recommended you seek the assistance of a Corrective Exercise Specialist.
Reference:
ISSA https://www.issaonline.com/blog/index.cfm/2019/better-shoulder-mobility-through-corrective-exercise