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Category: Shoulder Pain

  • Get Rid Of Neck and Shoulder Pain With These Exercises

    The lower trapezius muscle helps to pull the shoulder blades back and down.  It directly counteracts the pulling of the pectoralis minor muscle, which tries to pull the shoulder blades forward into a slouch.  Unfortunately, we are usually stronger in our pectoralis minor chest muscle than we are in our lower trapezius back muscle, resulting in shoulders that are pulled forward.  This forward shoulder posture gives us chronic neck and shoulder pain by putting the shoulder muscles in a state of constant tension as they are always being pulled and stretched.

    Strengthening the lower trapezius muscle can bring a balance to the shoulders and leave them in a more neutral, ergonomically efficient position.  Here are some exercises that can help:

     

    The second video does not have any sound, so pay close attention.  This exercise is perfect for those of you that have a gym membership.  If not, a theraband can be all you need.

    1. Do the exercise slowly
    2. The thumb should be pointed towards the ceiling at the beginning and behind you at the end position.
    3. Start with the shoulder shrugged forward, then pull the shoulder blade back.
    4. Do not over extend the shoulder to the point of feeling any pinching or sharp pain.
    5. Use only a small amount of weight/resistance.  Form is the most important thing here.  If you feel you are cheating to do the reps, take some weight off.

     

  • Yoga For Better Posture

    Even if you have had horrible posture for most of your life, you can still change it by taking the right steps today.  Yoga can be a valuable tool in correcting a long career of bad posture.  The following video shows a simple exercise that strengthens all of your erector muscles (the muscles that run beside your spine), interscapular muscles (the muscles that pull your shoulder blades together), and your lower trapezius muscles.  Strengthening these muscles can result in a straighter, stronger back, and a reduced slouch.

  • Rotator Cuff Stretch Videos

    Here is a collection of videos on rotator cuff stretches. This should be the first step of any rotator cuff rehab program

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
    2. Do the exercises slowly and gently.
    3. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
    4. Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    5. You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. Be especially careful of any sharp or pinching pain. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    6. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    7. Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
    8. Hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds each time.
    9. Receiving massage or acupuncture treatments as part of your rehabilitation can improve your recovery.

     

     

     

  • Rotator Cuff Strengthening Exercises

    These exercises serve to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles and are very helpful if you are feeling weakness, pain or clicking in your shoulder joint.

    The exercises work on the internal rotators (subscapularis, teres major), the external rotators (teres minor, infraspinatus), and the abductors (supraspinatus)

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
    2. Do the exercises slowly
    3. Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    4. Buy a few different colours of thera bands for this.  Each colour represents a different degree of difficulty.  Start with the easiest band and only move up to a more difficult colour band after you have completed 2 pain free days of exercises.
    5. You should not feel any pain during the exercises. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    6. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    7. Do the exercises a minimum of 3 times a day and 10 reps per set for best results.

     

    This last video goes over correct form and some common mistakes.

     

  • Your Computer Is Hurting You

    The average person that comes in to see me is not an athlete, does not lift heavy objects, and cannot, for the life of them, understand why they are in so much pain. Truth is that you are more likely to suffer from that cushy desk job than from anything else.

    Simply sitting in front of a computer for hours on end day after day slowly but surely does some serious damage to the body.  Here is how:

    Headaches

    Look at the last picture of the evolution of posture.  Notice how forward the person’s head is; how his neck sort of sticks out; and how he seems to be reaching further towards the screen.  That head position that everyone uses today puts a huge load of stress on those teeny tiny suboccipital muscles that lie at the base of the skull.  These suboccipital muscles when they are irritated for too long respond by sending headache signals to the temples, the side of the head, the base of the skull.  It can almost feel like someone tightening a band around your head.  Ouch!

    Solution:

    1. Learn how to sit properly using basic ergonomic principles
    2. Keep your chin tucked in and stop inching your head toward the screen.  Perhaps it’s time to get a new glasses prescription or get a larger screen.

    Pain Between Your Shoulder Blades

    Notice how stretched forward his shoulders are?  How they kind of hunch forward and slouch?  This position keeps your chest muscles in a shortened, tight position, while stretching out the muscles in your upper back.  Yes, those rhomboid and trapezius muscles are being forced to work in a weakened, stretched out position.  They are also fighting a losing battle against tight, strong chest muscles.  The result is that the muscles between your shoulder blades will feel achy all the time.

    Solution:

    1. Stretch out your chest muscles, or try these chest stretches
    2. Strengthen your Upper Back Muscles with lat pulldowns, use a rowing machine, do any kind of lats workout

    Lower Back Pain

    Notice how the lower back is missing any kind of natural arch in this position?  See how it rounds forward?  This is reversing the natural lordotic curve of the lower back and puts extra pressure on the nerve and blood supply in the lower back.  Basically, pressure is being put on your discs (herniated disc, anyone?), nerves are starting to be pinched, and your lower back is starting to feel achy all over.

    Solution:

    1. Sit with your hips against the back of the seat and get a lumbar support

    Hip Pain

    All that constant sitting can be a pain in the butt.  The constant pressure compresses nerves and blood vessels.  It acts like a choke hold, preventing blood from flowing freely to the gluteal muscles.  A reduced blood supply means less nutrients and oxygen being pumped into your hip and leg muscles.  It also means that waste products are not being removed very effectively from your hips.

    Solution:

    1. Stretch out your hip muscles
    2. Learn these simple sitting exercises

  • Video: Chest/Pectoral Stretch for the Office

    Here is another stretch for your chest pectoral muscles. It is a yoga stretch than can easily be done at the work place. Perfect for those moments when you are stressed out at work and don’t have time for a break.

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
    2. Do the exercises slowly and gently. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
    3. Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    4. You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. Be especially careful of any sharp pain in the shoulder. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    5. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    6. To increase the stretch, try to squeeze your shoulder blades together and slide them down your back while you are doing the exercise.
    7. Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
    8. Hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds each time.