What Causes Shoulder Pain?

Shoulders are a complex combination of muscles, joints, and bones which provide us the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks from simply making a ponytail all the way to pulling a slab. All of it is done through the help of shoulders that provide us with the strength to do so. However often due to incorrect angle, posture, or repeated exertion, we overburden our shoulders and it often results in pain or discomfort while moving shoulders. Athletics are physically active and often have rigorous workout regimes as part of their lifestyle and complain about shoulder pain the most continuously. Shoulders are the least stable of all joints and yet flexible as well. But they still remain to be highly prone to injury.

Pain in the shoulder can be caused due to an acute injury (such as falling from a bike), it can be joint dislocation or even a tear in the shoulder muscles, and many more. Whatever may be the reason for a recent discomfort or shoulder pain, it can be treated with the help of physical therapy or shoulder treatment. But the key to having strong and healthy shoulders is to be consistent with exercises. There is never an alternative to a 20-minute outdoor walk and similarly, an exercise dedicated to shoulders will help improve their performance as well as their strength.

Shoulder Exercises: A Key to Healthy Strong Shoulders

The most chronic occurring pain is in the shoulders which happens not just to athletes but to anyone of any profession and of any age. We do not even realize the extent to which our shoulders are involved in our daily life. These exercises do not take time and can easily be done every day even through normal lifting. The motion they provide is stabilized by muscles and ligaments. The complex structure has been set by the nature to provide great mobility. But due to its complexity, it is easy to be injured as well. This area allows extreme mobility and yet is prone to injury easily as well. Muscles work best when they are being worked on for the entire human body. The same goes for the shoulder muscles as well.

Why Shoulder Exercises Are Important for Us

Let us now think about why it is important to put a strong emphasis on the shoulders. Exercising the shoulder muscles is just as important as it will improve the strength and power of the shoulders. More people need shoulder therapies due to the negligence on the part of looking after the shoulders. The joints, muscles, and bones of a shoulder are all in dire need of care and exercise. It enhances posture, and adds stability and a more sturdy body structure. When exercise is done, the shoulders become stable and allow more stability.  

07 Outstanding Exercise for Strengthen Shoulders

Now that we have talked about the need and requirement of exercising for the shoulders, let us have a look at some outstanding exercising that have proven to be great for our shoulders.

1. Plank Love

It is said that time passes really slowly when you are doing a low plank. A plank is a position of exercise where a person puts the bodyweight on toes and arms by laying low in a position as shown in the image. It engages your core and helps stabilize your arms while putting the shoulders to test. This position is one of the most effective exercise routines. The exercise can be done in the form of repetitions and sets of 60 seconds each.

2. Rock the Pendulum

Pendulum exercise is to get the blood flow and mobility back in the shoulder. Keeping one hand stable on a table or a slab, the other is caused to swing initially from front to back and then all the way to the complete circle. The motion improves mobility and flexibility. Bear in mind to keep your core engaged and put your feet apart to add body stability.

3. Water Bottle

Don’t we like to exercise with equipment that we can find at home? Water bottles act as dumbles and are efficient to control the weight we are trying to lift. To work on the shoulders, the bottle needs to be placed right in front of you making a right angle between your side body and straight arm. Initially, the body will be shaking but the shoulder stability will improve, and with that, your posture will improve as well. This also works great to stabilize grip with weight.

4. Resistance Band

A resistance band is easy to find yet a great exercise tool to work with. For shoulders, grip one end of the band to a door handle and the other in your hand. Now while your elbows align with the side body, make sure the arm is parallel to the door and the arm is making a right angle with the forearm as shown below. Pull the band to maximum potential, and move your shoulders to make circles first externally towards the band and then internally, against the band resistance. This can be 10 to12 sides, 3 to 5 sets each.

5. Stretch Your Neck

Gently tug on the left and right sides of your neck to the maximum potential but do not try to stretch to an extent where it hurts. Simple tilt to the right and then left, down and then above. Gently pull the neck and ensure the shoulders of that side are down and away from the neck.

6. Finger Walk

The finger walk is an easy exercise that can be done by running your finger up the wall from a distance of three-quarters of the arm’s length. The goal should be to move the fingers along the wall as much as possible without putting the shoulder under a lot of stress.

7. Rotate the Band

Put the resistance band on your forearm and place them on a wall or a flat surface. Now rotate the hands in circular motions from left to right and then right to left. Adjust and experiment with different heights to stimulate muscle flexibility and shoulder strength.

Conclusion

Shoulder exercises are a great way to rehabilitate an injured as well as a healthy shoulder. Shoulders restricted in movement or cause discomfort can put day-to-day lives to difficult. It is better to invest time in your health and regularly exercise your core and shoulder muscles. Buy easy-to-use equipment such as a resistance band or a pulley for shoulder rehab and make this daily work easy.