A lot of us are troubled by neck pain at some juncture in our lives. The most common culprit for this type of pain is overuse or misuse of muscles as well as ligaments. Today’s computer-dominated workplace could be especially tough on necks as so many of us sit for long periods with shoulders slumped and heads extended toward monitors.
So, if you are behind your computer all day stretching your arms up to reach the sky has probably become one of those mid-meeting tics which you don’t even realise that you’re doing. This is until, one day, you reach toward the ceiling and then your shoulder pings with pain. It’s one of the revealing signs that you’re dealing with inflammation, and a cue that you should start treating your body to some shoulder impingement exercises (as recommended by personal trainers) before it gets any worse.
What Is A Shoulder Impingement?
A shoulder impingement, according to expert personal trainers, is an acute weakness and pain in the front and side of the shoulder, especially while the arm is in motion. It can take place for a number of reasons, including poor posture or simply going too hard on shoulder day. No matter how it started, though, personal trainers agree that you’ll want to nip it in the bud.
The big problem with shoulder impingement is that the longer it’s left untreated, the worse it can get. This is because it prevents the joints from moving through their full range of motion.
As our joints don’t receive direct blood flow, which allows nutrients and oxygen to be absorbed into our cells, they rely on full range of movements in order to receive the synovial fluid which helps them recycle dead cells and empower new ones. When they aren’t able to move at full range, it inhibits that process from working properly.
Exercises To Avoid
If you’re suffering from a shoulder impingement, here are some exercises that you should avoid:
- Don’t throw anything, particularly if it requires your arms to be overhead.
- Weightlifting (specifically overhead presses or pull-downs) is problematic, so avoid that until you are cleared.
- Avoid swimming entirely until you have recovered
These exercises – which are recommended by personal trainers and medical practitioners alike – will assist with lessening the pain from shoulder impingements.
Blade Squeezes
- Stand or sit.
- Pinch your shoulder blades together as if you were pinching a small ball between them.
- Hold for a period of seconds and do this 10 times.
- Do this exercise between three and five times a day.
Pec Stretching
- Stand in a doorway with your hand holding tightly onto the door frame just below the height of your shoulders.
- Make sure that you twist your body away from your arm to the point that you feel a stretch in the chest area.
- Hold for 15 seconds and then repeat five times.
Shoulder Stretches
- Stretch your arm straight out in front of you.
- Move it forward only by using your shoulder.
- After this move your shoulder backwards as far as you are able to without moving your back or neck, while also not bending your arm.
Arm Stretches
- Lie on your uninjured side.
- Bend your top arm in a right angle.
- Keep your elbow on your hip and then rotate the lower arm towards the ceiling.
- Repeat 10 to 20 times.
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