How to Increase Shoulder Mobility
Shoulder mobility often decreases due to inflammation that is the result of an injury to the rotator cuff or other components within the shoulder joint. If you do receive an injury, it’s important to allow the shoulder to rest and then gently ease back into a stronger workout that will allow you to regain both your mobility and your strength. You use your shoulders to perform a variety of tasks throughout the day and keeping them strong plays an important role in your quality of life.
Finding the Cause of the Restriction
When you start to discover that your shoulder mobility has started to decrease, it’s important for you to find out why. Visit your doctor and discuss the problems you have been having. Aside from shoulder pain and stiffness, discuss any other signs and symptoms that are affecting how your shoulder moves or how your activities are limited. A torn rotator cuff can prevent you from raising your hands and arms above your head. It can also be extremely painful and stiff when you first wake up in the morning. Performing an MRI or an X-ray will help your doctor uncover the cause of your pain and discomfort.
Exercise and Stretching
The right exercises and stretches will help to increase your mobility and strengthen the musculoskeletal structure that supports the thoracic spine and the upper back. As part of your physical therapy, it may be recommended that you start with a few stretching exercises that help to keep the shoulder loose and improve circulation to the area. The additional blood flow provides the nutrients the body needs to heal the damaged tissues. Mild exercise that doesn’t exhaust the damaged tissues can help to relieve inflammation.
- Aquatic exercise – Aquatic exercise can be very helpful for treating injuries. Moving through the water uses the body’s own weight as resistance without putting pressure on the joint. Submerge your body in the water up to your next and move your arms back and forth mimicking swimming motions. This gives you the benefit of resistance without the stress of actually propelling your body through the water. Take it one step further and look into aquatic therapy.
- Weighted arm raises – Using wrist weights, lift your arms from your waist to shoulder height. Stretch them to the front and to the sides to strengthen the rotator cuff and gradually increase your mobility.
- Cross arm stretches – Stretching can help heal current injuries and prevent new ones. Reach your arm across your body using your other arm to pull it toward you. This will stretch the rotator cuff and increase your flexibility. Perform it slowly to avoid any pain or discomfort.
Add More Exercises
Once your shoulder mobility has started to improve, you can begin to perform other exercises to help rebuild your strength. Bench presses performed with light weights will help to rebuild the strength in the upper arms and across the shoulder blades. The more you exercise, the stronger you will become. Being able to “feel a stretch” while you exercise means that your work is paying off. Feeling your muscles stretch allows you to feel your mobility increase. If you start to feel any pain during exercise, slow down. You may be moving to fast.
Be Aware of Your Limitations
Always be aware of your limitations once you’ve received an injury, especially one that affects the shoulder. When you are exercising, stretching, or performing any daily task that involves your shoulder, know your limitations and don’t overdo it. Pushing too hard too fast may cause you to re-injure the area and extend your healing time. Take your time during recovery and allow your shoulder to fully heal before returning to your regular workload. If you are worried about hurting yourself, it may be a good idea to hire a physical therapist to help you.
It’s important to understand how your shoulder works as well as how to increase shoulder mobility after an injury. Take the time you need to heal and don’t take a chance when it comes to doing too much too soon. Increasing your mobility gradually will allow you to rebuild your strength and increase your range of motion. The important thing is to make sure your shoulder is fully healed before you start extending it past its limits.
