Shoulder pain can be really discouraging and impact not only your regular gym routine, but your daily life. I’ve lived through many instances of shoulder pain and helped many folks overcome it as well.
Blogs like this are hard to write, because there are not usually "4 magic things" that work for every person. Each person has a unique pain experience, and each case of shoulder pain should be evaluated and treated specifically for that person. I recommend you get an evaluation by a performance physical therapist you trust. If you’re in the Asheville, NC or surrounding area, I’d love to help you out.
BUT….there are a few themes that are typically successful in nearly every person’s shoulder rehab journey.

4 Things to Help Your Shoulder Pain:
1. Start with Isometrics: Isometrics are a type of exercise where you engage the muscle, but don't move the joint at all. This can be a great place to start if you are having a lot of shoulder pain that is keeping you from doing even the most basic daily activities like sleeping or reaching overhead. You likely won’t need these exercises for more than a few weeks. As your symptoms improve, the goal is to start challenging yourself with exercises that look more like your goals.
Isometrics can help relieve pain for a period of time after performing them. They also get you started with some early strengthening. I recommend keeping your effort at a low, pain-free or mostly pain-free level. Performing 2-4 sets at 30-45" time frames is usually a good starting place. Here are a 2 more commonly used examples.
2. Get the Shoulder Blades Moving: The shoulder blades are designed to move 6 directions: away from the spine, towards the spine, shrugging up, lowering down, tipping forward, and tipping back. Immobile shoulder blades can be something that leads to shoulder pain. It’s also a great place to start with a more painful shoulder. The actual shoulder joint (ball and socket called the glenohumeral joint) is different from the shoulder blade. So many shoulder blade focused exercises require little to no movement of the ball and socket joint itself. Not all of these will work of all cases of shoulder pain. But here are a few exercises that are good to start with:
Row Variations (3 options below):
shoulder pain in Asheville
Scapular Push-Ups
Scapular Pull-Ups
3. Start Zone 2 Cardio: That’s right. It’s the simplest medicine. Moving your body! Walking, jogging, biking, rowing, or using an elliptical. You want to pick the version that you like the most AND that doesn’t negatively impact your shoulder pain. Zone 2 means you are working at a low effort, about 60-70% of your max heart rate. Starting at a minimum of 2 hours a week is a good goal but getting 3-4 hours a week is best. This will help stimulate healing and also help you mentally as you rehab the shoulder pain!
4. Strengthen the Rest of the Body: There are many ways to stay exercising around your shoulder pain, even if that means strictly working the lower body and core for a while.
If you're used to moving heavy loads, but can't get into a high or low bar back squat position, then here are a few alternatives:
Use a safety squat bar. It's a bar that loads similarly to a traditional barbell back squat, but it has handles in front which makes it a great alternative for folks dealing with any shoulder or elbow pain.
Do more lunges, split squats, single leg squat, single leg RDLs, etc. You can use dumbbells in hand if the shoulders tolerate it or use a very slow tempo to make a body weight exercise challenging.
Use machines if needed. You can still get a great stimulus and build muscle with machines that don't require any help from the shoulders like a leg press machine, hamstring curl machine, or knee extension machine.
While each person’s shoulder pain is unique and therefore needs a unique rehab journey, there are some commonalities for most folks. I hope you found these 4 things to help your shoulder pain helpful. If you are ready to get rid of your shoulder pain for good and get back to activities like the gym, yoga, mountain biking, and more then give me a shout. I’d love to help you navigate your recovery in Asheville, NC.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sieara
Book your FREE consult call here!
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