Most of you know that I have spent the last 6 weeks in a sling from massive shoulder reconstructive surgery. The what and how it all happened to lead up to the surgery is not entirely clear. I know that many years of tennis, softball and other abuses all contributed.
But I am on the mend and have about 6 weeks of physical therapy to go and hope to be better than new!
So I wanted to write this to give you a heads up. With proper care and maintenance, you can do a lot to take care of your shoulders.
Right now, as you are reading this, what is your posture?
Likely you are slightly hunched over, shoulders dropped down and forward.
Quit it!
Poor posture is the number one contributor to shoulder pain and dysfunction. What I call “occupational kyphosis” is common amongst many of us who hold office jobs. Hunched over a keyboard all day.
This action weakens and lengthens the posterior muscles (in the back of the shoulders) and shortens and tightens the anterior (those in front).
Left alone, this can lead to problems especially if you try to exert some force or movement. In that weakened and vulnerable state, the shoulder is not stable and can get injured.
The human shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body and the only one that can move in every plane of rotation. This mobility provides the upper extremity with tremendous range of motion such as adduction, abduction, flexion, extension, internal rotation, external rotation, and 360° circumduction in the sagittal plane. Furthermore, the shoulder allows for scapular protraction, retraction, elevation, and depression. This wide range of motion also makes the shoulder joint unstable. This instability is compensated for by rotator cuff muscles, tendons, ligaments, and the glenoid labrum.
More than a few of you will experience shoulder pain or limited mobility. I wanted to give you a few exercises that you can do anytime and anywhere (just about) to counteract those hours hunched over your laptop.
We put together this 15 minute routine that you can view. The routine will keep you standing tall and prevent many of the shoulder problems most people experience.
Click this link to view to view the routine:
You can also do the exercises on their own.
They are:
- Wall Sit Front Shoulder Raise: https://youtu.be/nCDVRnpdmN0
- Wall Slides: https://youtu.be/aeK84B6g1zY
- Superman with a Pullback:https://youtu.be/IDKR00oFNSw
- Supine Snow Angels:https://youtu.be/8SemcJ7KzmY
- Broomstick Reverse Lat Pull Up: https://youtu.be/s5Co9G9dxAU
- Broomstick Overhead Stretch (Shoulder Dislocations):https://youtu.be/zlHgkRbGuMY
- Bent Over Lateral Raise:
https://youtu.be/uQcam1X1QLw
So, please take it from me. Do a little preventive maintenance so you don’t have to shoulder the burden of shoulder pain.
Stay healthy my friends!
