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Prevention of Shoulder Muscle Injury Pain

Your shoulder joints move every time you move your arms. The shoulder joint has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body. This arrangement is a delicate balancing act, and injuries to the shoulder can upset the balance, causing you to have a significant amount of pain and shoulder problems.

Rotator cuff (made up of the muscles and tendons in your shoulder) injuries are fairly common. Causes of the injury may include falling, lifting and repetitive arm activities, especially those done overhead. These activities may include throwing a baseball, reaching up to work on a car on a rack or placing items on shelves above your head. The injury is also common among people whose jobs or hobbies include heavy demands on their shoulders, such as athletes, archers and people in the construction trades. Poor posture, especially as related to your shoulders hunched forward, also can contribute to rotator cuff injury. As you get older, your risk of a rotator cuff injury increases.

Here are some easy shoulder exercises that you can do to strengthen your shoulder muscles and prevent injuries:

Basic shoulder strengthening: Attach elastic tubing to a doorknob at home. Gently pull the elastic tubing toward your body. Hold for a count of five. Repeat five times with each arm. Perform twice a day.

In the lower limb, stressful weight bearing activities may need to be reduced on a temporary basis to allow the inflammation to lessen. The use of a cane in the opposite hand can assist a painful hip.

Wall push-ups: Stand facing a wall with your hands on the wall and your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly perform a push-up. Repeat five times. Hold for a count of five. Perform twice a day.

Alternative treatment: Active Release Technique (ART) is a manual therapy (involving only the practitioner's hands) that breaks down scar tissue while the muscle and/or joint is taken through the natural range of motion. As muscles accumulate scar tissue with overuse they lose strength, flexibility and joint motion. In the case of sciatica, scar tissue "glues" the sciatic nerve to the piriformis muscle, preventing normal motion between the structures. This irritates the nerve and results in pain. ART breaks down the scar tissue between the nerve and muscles, freeing the nerve and restoring normal motion.

Typists who spend long hours at the keyboard should ensure that the keyboard is at an appropriate height. Wrists rests should not be used; instead typing should be done with wrists extended in a neutral or slightly flexed position. Typists should also take breaks.

Shoulder press-ups: Sit upright in a chair with armrest, with your feet touching the floor. Use your arms to slowly rise off the chair. Hold for a count of five. Repeat five times. Perform twice a day.

Stretching and strengthening are very helpful to address any areas of muscle imbalance. If a certain exercise or sport is causing a tendon injury, consider taking lessons to learn proper techniques.

Eliminate lifting and restrict over-the-shoulder positions and reaching until your symptoms have resolved. There is a 5 to 10 percent risk of biceps tendon rupture if precautions are not followed. It is safest to keep the arm down and in front of and close to the body:

Lift objects close to the body
Only lift light weights and below shoulder level
Do sidestroke or breaststroke when swimming
Tendon injuries heal more slowly in smokers than in nonsmokers. Smoking impairs collagen production, which is necessary for wound and tissue healing.
Throw balls underhand or sidearm
Do not overhand serve in tennis
Wear a "counterforce" brace when you need to grasp or twist something. This is a strap around your forearm placed about an inch below your elbow. It eases the pressure on the tendon and spreads force throughout your arm.
Maintain good posture with writing, working, etc.

For the first 48 hours after an injury, avoid things that might increase swelling, such as hot showers, hot tubs, hot packs, or alcoholic beverages. As long as it's gentle, massage can help ease muscle soreness and stiffness.

A wait-and-see approach (relative rest with ergonomic advice and analgesics as needed) provides long-term benefits comparable to a combination physical therapy regimen and will often suffice.

Rest and massage with sesame oil to relieve shoulder and back pain. Take warm showers to reduce stiffness. Do gentle chest openers: with hands at sides, turn palms out, inhale and raise arms to just below the point of pain, then exhale and lower arms several times a day.

Meditation: A regular meditation practice stills the mind and enhances awareness of body, mind, and spirit. Any acceptable meditation practice is beneficial. It is important for the client to make time for him/herself in order to reduce stress, resentment, and anger.

If an athlete focuses only on the he large muscles and ignores the relatively smaller rotator cuff muscles, that athlete will be an accident looking for a place to happen. Most lifting injuries to the shoulder happen with the bench press. Use good from and have a spotter assist you.

Yoga: Radial nerve glides to "floss" the nerve, arm hangs, isometrics – all 5 times, working up to 10.

Asanas: shavasana to relax and get in touch with the body.Make asana practice a daily goal and a necessity.
Pranayama: practice wave breath in bed before rising and before sleeping. Practice
intercostal breathing during the day.

Diet: Continue to adjust the diet for reduced inflammation and steady energy. However intelligent and self-aware you are, you will probably need the help of professionals – for treatment, guidance, feedback and motivation.

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