Simple Exercises to Decrease Shoulder Pain and Increase Shoulder Mobility

The shoulder is a very interesting part of our body. It has the by far the most movement of any other joint in our body. It is made up of several joints including the glenohumeral, acromioclavicular, and scapulothoracic joint. There are so many muscles that surround the joint, help with movement, and help stabilize the joint like the rotator cuff muscles. Due to these factors shoulder pain is one the most common pains to experience. With so much movement ligaments and muscles are bound to get pulled and tighten which then limit movement. It is also a common area for tendons to calcify. To help with your shoulder pain or lack of shoulder mobility here are a couple exercises that may help. If you are in severe pain make sure to contact your Roseville Chiropractor to help you get out of pain.

1. Codman arm swing- This is a great first exercise for anyone who is having shoulder pain or limited shoulder mobility. This exercise involves using the momentum of your body to help swing your arm. This is a great form of passive range of motion exercise that is great in acute phase of shoulder pain or when you have a hard time lifting your arm. Simply move your body and let your arm hang. The movement of your body will help move your shoulder letting it swing back and forth like a pendulum.

2. Wand/Broom exercise- This is another great exercise during the early phase of an injury especially with lots of pain or limited shoulder mobility. For this passive range of motion exercise you are going to grab the top of a stick or a broom with the hand of your hurt shoulder. With the opposite arm you are going to push up to go through the range of motion of the shoulder. Don't use the top arm to help. Just allow it to relax and go along for the ride.

3. Resisted external rotation with a theraband- This exercise is designed to help strengthen the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles which are rotator cuff muscles. These muscles are responsible for stabilizing the shoulder and help with external rotation. These muscles are typically weak on a lot of people and can cause a lot of shoulder pain. To do this exercise you are going to pull to resistance with the non hurt side arm. On the hurt shoulder side you are going to pull the band away from your body while keeping your elbow tucked close to your torso. For this one you should watch the video to get a better understanding.

4. Resisted internal rotation with a theraband- This exercise is designed to help strengthen the subscapularis muscle which is a rotator cuff muscle. This muscle is responsible for stabilizing the shoulder and helps with internal rotation. This exercise is going to look like the exact opposite of the resisted external rotation exercise. With the opposite side of the theraband tied to a door handle or another heavy object you are going to have your arm curled to 90 degrees facing straight ahead. Now you will bring your hand close to your body while keeping the elbow tucked close to your torso. This another exercise that it would be best to watch the video for.

5. Resisted arm raises- Arm raises can be good to strengthen a lot of muscles for the shoulder. For this one I want to focus on the supraspinatus muscle because it is a rotator cuff muscle and is an important muscle for shoulder stabilization. To do this exercise step on the opposite end of the theraband with your foot. Grab the other end with your hand with your thumb pointed down. Lift up the band diagonal rather than directly in front of you or to the side. If you can you want to lift it up in the scaption plane which slight in front of horizontal and where your shoulder normally lines up.

6. External rotation with weight- The last exercise is the same as number 3 but with a weight. This exercise is shown laying on your side instead of sitting to allow for the weight and gravity to be the resistance.

If you have questions about this watch the video. Please note these exercises are meant to be a first step and to help give an idea of what exercises can be helpful. If you want more specific ideas of what you can do for your shoulder pain make sure to see the Roseville Chiropractors you can trust here at Accident and Sports Injury Clinic.