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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!
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. The exercises we have recommended below are just a few of the many that can be performed.
Thoracic spine mobilising exercises - the mid spine can get very stiff, particularly if you are desk based or have poor posture. These simple exercises show you how to loosen off this area, which allows greater range of movement in the trunk and transfer of energy to the shoulder.
Shoulder blade setting - It is very important to have good control of the shoulder blade to ensure a smooth transition of energy from the trunk to the upper limb.
Shoulder strengthening - a variety of exercises that cover the rotator cuff and trapezius muscles to maintain strength in the shoulder.
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