# Reduce and Prevent Shoulder Pain

- Link: https://idealstrength.com/reduce-and-prevent-shoulder-pain/
- Published: 2014-11-20T23:41:05-08:00
- Author: Dan S

Poor posture combined with heavy lifting and poor exercise programming (or lack 
of any programming) can wreak havoc on the shoulders.  If you find yourself with
achy shoulders or care enough to keep them healthy, then keep reading.  Here are
three tips that you can do to help reduce and prevent shoulder pain from occurring.

It’s advisable to consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program and 
even more important if you currently suffer from shoulder pain.

 1. ** Improve Your Posture**– Most of us sit for hours each day with hunched shoulders
    and rounded backs. This not only has a negative long term impact on the spine, 
    but it also affects the shoulders and surrounding muscles. Continuously putting
    your body in a poor position, such as hunched over a computer screen for hours 
    on end can lead to tightness and shortening of the pectoral muscles. This can lead
    to muscular imbalances and increase the risk of injury.

**Do this****:** Make a conscious effort to improve your posture throughout the 
day. Sit up tall, pull your shoulders back, and sit in the back of your chair. To
develop this habit, set a simple calendar reminder for every two hours during your
work day.

 1. ** Improve Thoracic Mobility**– The thoracic spine is the middle section of the
    spine that is attached to the ribs. Having poor movement in this area will often
    affect the available range of motion for the shoulder. Try this: slump your shoulders
    forward like you just heard some very depressing news and then try to lift your
    arms overhead. Didn’t work too well? Now try standing up tall with a proud chest
    and lift your arms overhead. See the difference?

**Do this****:** Improve muscle tissue quality through foam rolling and soft tissue
work (maybe even a massage).  Focus these efforts on the mid-back. Be sure to also
target the chest and lat muscles of the back. Then work on improving the range of
motion in the thoracic spine through stretching and mobility drills. These can serve
as part of warm-up before a workout or can be done by themselves throughout the 
day.

 1. ** Strengthen Shoulder Muscles**– In order to counteract poor posture habits and
    tightness in the front of the shoulder, most people can benefit from strengthening
    the muscles on the posterior, or backside, of the body rather than the anterior,
    or front, of the body.

**Do this****:** Organize your workouts so that for every anterior-focused exercise
you perform (e.g. any type of press), you also perform two posterior-focused exercises(
e.g. any pulling or rowing motion). Also, spend time developing the smaller, deep
muscles of the rotator cuff. Simple exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff require
only a band or light weight.

See a knowledgeable fitness professional to learn more and design a workout program
to fit your needs. If you experience chronic shoulder pain or have an injury, visit
a physical therapist for a thorough evaluation.

-Dan