We see a variety of shoulder problems at Sprint and not all of them are the product of sporting injuries. In fact many office workers, manual workers and musicians can also develop shoulder problems. Unfortunately some are just down to ageing tissues and the fact that our shoulder blades are not designed for overhead activity the way an ape’s are!

But many can be prevented with some simple exercises. To help you keep your shoulders pain free it is helpful to understand some of the causes of shoulder pain. Many of the shoulder problems we treat are due to ‘impingement’ - when tissues are compressed or pinched between bony surfaces. Impingement can occur for a variety of reasons and is often associated with overuse, trauma, and changes in sporting technique or activity levels and may be due to instability. For example in the throwing athlete or the swimmer, the shoulder is subjected to high torques and repetitive movements. Maintaining the correct positioning of the shoulder blade and the ‘ball and socket’ through range of motion prevents unwanted translation of the joint. If this does not occur tissues may become subjected to extra loading and consequently breakdown.

The shoulder can of course also be injured during more static activities such as holding the arm in certain positions for a long time when playing a musical instrument or using a keyboard at work. In all cases symptoms can include pain on overhead activities, local pain and night pain. As the shoulder is so mobile good muscle control is essential to ensure correct and efficient movement. To maintain your shoulders in good condition we advise that you work on trunk mobility and control in addition to exercises specifically for the shoulders. In many sports including racquet sports and swimming we use the trunk to initiate rotation, which allows a transfer of energy from the larger trunk segments to the shoulder and arm thus producing greater force with the least stress on the shoulder joint. Preventing undue stress will minimize injury and improve efficiency. It is however very important to have good control of the shoulder blade to ensure a smooth transition of energy from the trunk to the upper limb. The exercises we have recommended are just a few of the many that can be performed.

To begin, practice setting the shoulder blade. This will optimize the position of the shoulder joint and improve the quality of the exercises.Try rolling the tip of the shoulder up and out and feel your chest widen and lengthen the collar bone. This is a subtle movement so do not work too hard. The shoulder blade will effectively rotate as shown in the picture. This can be a difficult position to achieve so it may help you to have a session with your physiotherapist to ensure you get it right!

Exercises