BY: TRISHA CURLING
Shoulder health isn’t always the first thing that may come to mind when we think about our overall health, but so many of us that experience pain in this part of the body (or others for that matter) often just live with it, because we either think that it will just go away or that it is too time-consuming to get to a doctor or some type of health care provider. I know this all too well and did this with a number of ailments I was having. I was just “too busy” to take care of it and just allowed the pain to be a part of my everyday life. After finally getting to a massage therapist and finding out that this was very common, I decided that I would no longer allow myself to do this and that I would take control of the situation. Between massage, manual therapy and yoga I have been able to manage my injuries and reduce pain significantly, especially in my shoulder. It’s incredible to believe that I no longer suffer from any shoulder pain. I stay active, so it doesn’t mean that I am forever free from injury, but I know now how to maintain a certain level of shoulder health, therefore reducing my risk of injury. I understand now that we all have the ability to take more control over our own health.
In the last edition, I talked about ways in which we can create active stability in the shoulder. The first option I discussed was a non-weight bearing exercise (seated with arms out). This is a great option if you are trying to rebuild the area in order to take on more load (weight). The next progression would be with minimal weight bearing.
Arms out at a wall
- This time in a standing position, place your palms on the wall (straight arms length distance).
- Stand tall by lengthening through your spine
- Feel as though you are pushing the wall away and round through your upper back like you are pushing your shoulder blades apart
- As you push, try to feel as though you are activating the muscles at the side of your body below your armpit
- Oppose the movement by then opening the chest and drawing your shoulder blades together.
- Inhale as you open the chest and exhale as you round your upper back
This progression begins to prepare your body for more load as there is minimal weight bearing here. Perform this for maybe 5-10 breaths 2 or 3 times. If you don’t feel a connection with your muscles or shoulder blades, don’t worry, it takes time and patience, but it will happen.
What we sometimes don’t realize is that sometimes it only takes a few minutes to begin to help ourselves. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the thought of carving out 30-60 minutes of our day for exercise, but if we carve out 5-10 min. to execute 1 or 2 subtle movements to go through on a consistent basis, we can make a large impact on our own treatment. Finding a good manual or massage therapist, coupled with a good yoga teacher that specializes in these therapeutics can truly lead you to the road of recovery. Take action and your shoulders will thank you!
