Shoulder pain can really slow down most of your daily life. Things like reaching or lifting overhead, doing pushups, washing your back, putting on a coat, and even sleeping can be seriously limited.
2 muscle groups in your shoulder often get weak and are a big cause of shoulder pain. Your rotator cuff and your middle trapezius muscles are often main culprits.
The good news is there are simple exercises you can do to strengthen these muscles and stop shoulder pain.
Prone T
Prone T’s help you strengthen the middle trapezius. This sits between your shoulder blades. Keeping this strong makes it easier to avoid the shoulders rounded forward position. This puts less stress on your rotator cuff muscles and reduces pain.
You don’t need to lie on a fancy table like this video shows. You can do this lying on the edge of your bed, a gym bench, or even on the floor.
The most important part is getting your elbows as high off the floor as possible.
Hold for 5 seconds at the top and then return to the start position. Start with 2 sets of 10 every other day and work up to 3 sets of 10.
Shoulder external rotation
Shoulder external rotation increases the strength of your rotator cuff. The rotator cuff muscles main job is to help control the shoulder as it moves in its socket.
If it’s not strong enough, it has to work harder than it should. This can cause tendinitis and pain.
To do this exercise correctly, make sure to keep your shoulder blade pinched back throughout the entire movement. Start with no weight if your shoulder is really hurting, otherwise start with 1 or 2 pounds.
Try 3 sets of 10 of these every other day, progressing to 3 sets of 15 as they get easier. Once you can do 3 sets of 15 with only mild fatigue, then your next session you can add another pound and start at 3 sets of 10 again.
Neither of the exercises above should make you hurt more. If you’ve tried these and you’re still hurting, we can help you!
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, we’re experts at treating shoulder pain and will develop a plan to help you beat it.
Call our scheduling team at 703-810-7487, or click here and a member of our team will schedule you an evaluation with one of our expert physical therapists.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Team
