Shoulder pain is a common symptom we see at Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine. When people have shoulder pain, things like reaching overhead, putting on a jacket, washing your back, or doing pushups, can be difficult and painful. So why is your shoulder hurting?
Shoulder pain like this can be caused by a number of factors. One of the more common causes we see is a lack of flexibility in the soft tissues around the shoulder. The pec muscles (on the front of the chest wall) and the lat muscles (on the outside of your back and shoulders) are commonly involved. Here are 2 easy exercises you can do to address the flexibility of these muscles and help resolve and prevent shoulder pain.
90/90 Pec Stretch
This is a great stretch for improving flexibility of the pec muscles and overall mobility of the shoulder. This should not hurt, but it should feel like a stretch across the front of your chest. Try holding this for 30 sec and doing it 3 times once or twice a day.
Lat Stretch on Ball
This a great way to stretch out the lat muscles. Keep your thumbs pointed up towards the ceiling to make it most effective. If you don’t have an exercise ball, you can use a coffee table or couch. If you can’t get on your knees, you can do it sitting in a chair at a table or desk. Hold for 30 sec and do it 3 times once or twice a day.
The shoulder joint is a complex interaction of muscles and ligaments. If doing either of these stretches hurts, or if you’ve tried these and you’re still in pain, we’d love to help you! At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, we’re experts at evaluating shoulder pain and will develop a plan to help you overcome it.
Call our office at 703-299-3111, or click here and a member of our team will schedule you an evaluation with one of our highly skilled physical therapists.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Team
