Shoulder pain is very common in clinical practice, whether it be pain in the from of the joint, pain on top of the joint or pain at the back of the joint – our shoulders just seem to cop it!
Why, I hear you collectively say – well, there a lot of reasons, however the most common are below, as well as ways you can help in reducing the likelihood of this common presentation.
- Your mid back (Thoracic Spine) is stiff and does not rotate or extend well – mobility problem;
- The shoulder joint is not just the ball and socket joint we all know so well, but rather includes the scapular (shoulder blade) and its joint with the rib cage, as well as the AC and SC joints of the top and front of the complex.
- If the scapular (shoulder blade) has limited movement because the thoracic spine and rib cage it sits on is stiff and has poor movement, the muscles around the ball and socket area of the shoulder complex are loaded more and are asked to do more with movement. Overtime, they are overworked and can cause pain.
Thoracic spine mobility exercise
- Poor upward movement of your scapular/s (shoulder blades);
- In order to raise are our arms over our heads, one of the most important things that need to happen is for our scapulars (shoulder blades) to move in an upward manner so that the ball and socket part can fully move through the range it needs to.
- The reasons that this may not happen – and as a result cause the top and front of the shoulder joint to work in a poor position – include, tight lats, tight pec muscles and poor motor control of the shoulder blades to hold certain positions when needed. Below are two exercises that can help with the above.
Latissimus Dorsi Mobility
Upward rotation and control of the shoulder blades
