Shoulder pain is one of the most common injuries to people of all ages and it is also one of the most difficult and complicated areas of the body to work with. The shoulder is very unique in that there are so many dynamic movements this joint can complete but this dynamic mobility with extreme ranges of movement leaves the joint vulnerable to imbalances, instability, and injury. When there is a muscular imbalance around the shoulder it can lead to diminished scapula control that result in postural dysfunctions like winging of the scapula and shoulder injuries like shoulder impingement and rotator cuff tears. One of the main muscles responsible for these imbalances is the serratus anterior which is a prime mover of the scapula and along with the lower trapezius plays a critical role in providing normal scapulohumeral rhythm and motion. The biggest problem with the serratus anterior is that many of the best exercises to strengthen this muscle are also the most problematic and painful movement to execute making it very difficult to restore back to full strength. In this article, I will discuss exactly what the serratus anterior’s function is and how you can restore full strength if you have suffered a shoulder injury.
How To Correctly Execute Rowing Exercises In The Gym For Optimal Shoulder Strength & Function
The old saying, “you can sometimes have too much of a good thing” is very true when it comes to rowing exercises in the gym. There is a lot of confusion surrounding this movement pattern with regards to posture, and especially shoulder and neck rehabilitation. I must admit I was one of the people who always thought you just can never have too much rowing exercises. More the better, sticking to a ratio of 3 rowing exercises to one pushing movement, and that pulling your shoulders down and back is a good thing. Only to find out years later I had developed a depressed shoulder that led to a shoulder impingement! The very thing I was trying to avoid! For gym beginners this is rarely an issue as we see them overcompensate with too much upper trap involvement but it is very common the educated gym participant, athletes and anyone who has some postural awareness. As with all exercises is is all about stability and quality of movement. In this article, I am going to help explain what that really means and to understand exactly how the shoulder moves so you can base programs, exercise choices around what your body needs to move freely and without restriction, as opposed to rigid rules based on isolating muscle, that only serve to create dysfunction and pain.
How to Use Reactive Neuromuscular Training to Enhance Joint Stability & Movement
A very common problem during a rehabilitation program for injury is when you get to that point that you do not have pain but you know your body is only one small step away from losing stability and control putting you at risk of going backwards. Trying to force your way through with strength methods is risky, but sticking with easy isolated mobility and floor based stability exercises achieves very little too. It is at this point I regularly use a training technique called REACTIVE NEUROMUSCULAR TRAINING (RNT for short). This is where a small amount of resistance is applied to a faulty movement that “feed the mistake” and therefor forces the body to make a correction. This can be a very frustrating phase to work through but extremely rewarding if you spend the time to work through it. In this article I will explain how I use several versions of this technique to rehabilitate injuries and even improve sporting performance!
6 Strengthening Exercises To Correct A Winged Scapula
The winged scapula is one of the most common postural faults we see today. And even though we are talking about winged scapula in this article the information and exercises provided will relate to ALL shoulder injuries. The term winged scapula gets its name from its appearance, a wing-like resemblance, due to the medial border of the scapula sticking straight out from the back. As I mentioned at the start this is a postural fault that can greatly affect a person’s ability to lift, pull, and push weighty objects and can cause pain and discomfort with simple daily activities such as taking your shirt off or playing a sport. When pain sets in people resort to the treatment of trigger point massage, stretching, and acupuncture which all may help in some way but the real answer lies in providing stability. Why? The shoulder is such an amazing joint in that it has an incredible amount of mobility and is able to perform some incredibly powerful and dynamic movements like serving in tennis or simply throwing a ball. But this awesome mobility comes at a cost, as the stability of the shoulder can be very easily compromised. And when this happens is when injury and pain takes over. If we lose that stability, we get some extra mobility of the humeral head within the joint, and that begins to pinch some of the structures around it and you eventually end up with common postural problems like the winged scapula that progress to much worse problems such as injuries like a shoulder impingement or rotator cuff tears. In this article, we will provide you with some of the most effective and simple to do stability exercises that you can begin using to improve your posture and get your shoulder movement back, without pain and compensation.
Why I Love Using The Serratus Anterior Wall Slides Drill
I must admit when I first saw the serratus anterior wall slides I thought it was a complete waste of time and would do absolutely nothing to help me with my shoulder injury. After a few mediocre attempts at trying it I stopped and went back to what I was doing before. However, as the months went by and my shoulder continued to worsen with many different methods I began researching what the experts in shoulder rehabilitation were using. And I continually found that the Serratus Anterior Wall Slides was a common exercise drill used by several highly respected practitioners. Upon investigating this further I found this was an exercise founded by movement function pioneer Shirley Sahrmann in her book “Movement Impairment Syndromes”. I realized I needed to open my mind to this and decided to spend the time to really understand the purpose of this exercise and how to apply it correctly and see if it could help me. And within weeks I saw huge improvement which led me to finding the long term solution to my injury. This article I will explain what I learned and how it changed my approach to shoulders forever.
Why Push Ups Are Such A Great Exercise To Build A Strong & Fit Body
For such an easy to do exercise Push-ups deliver a real punch to your body’s health. For as much as it can give you the great physique most of us are looking for, they provide a very unique way of strengthening our bodies and targeting areas that are commonly weak. We use this exercise in it’s various forms often in our rehabilitation programs, in particular for neck and shoulder pain, but also with overall integrated skill development with spinal injury and various nervous system disease. They are without doubt one of the oldest and most common of all exercises to every person around the world. They are often used as a fitness test in Police, Military and various sporting clubs as well as being a cornerstone of programs for martial arts and gymnastics. It is fair to say everyone knows what a push-up is and a rough idea of how to do one correctly. Unfortunately, not many people are aware of the amazing benefits this exercise provides. In this article, I will explain the true value of the push up, how to do it right, and also give you a few different versions to try out that will really challenge you.
Getting Rid Of Elbow Pain Is All About Scapula Stability
Two of the most difficult areas of the body to try and restore stability and function to when injured are the shoulder and the elbow. The shoulder is such an amazing joint in that it has an incredible amount of mobility and is able to perform some incredibly powerful and dynamic movements. But this awesome mobility comes at a cost, as the stability of the shoulder can be very easily compromised. And when this happens is when injury and pain takes over. Funnily enough, the problems seen with the shoulder and elbow are closely related to the same dysfunction and instability being driven by the scapula. Unfortunately, this is an area often missed with typical treatments for the elbow, as people are fixated on trying to remove the pain. Trying to treat the elbow without addressing the underlying cause is pointless, and in this article, I will explain exactly how you can begin correcting your elbow problem at the source instead of treating symptoms.