09/25/09
The Shoulder – Perpetually Movable, Perpetually Vulnerable
As a sports chiropractor, I consult with and treat a number of triathletes and swimmers, as well as a host of other endurance athletes. Through the years I have found that swimmers, triathletes and anyone in a throwing sport will, at some time, have shoulder pain that is directly related to the flexibility of their shoulders (or lack thereof!).
When we consider the anatomy of the shoulder relative to what we ask it to do for us with respect to athletics, it’s easy to see why.
Category: Your Body
Posted by: editor
Anatomically, the entire shoulder girdle is attached to the rest of the body by a single boney attachment – the sternoclavicular joint. This is the joint created by the collarbone attaching to the sternum in the front of the chest. Imagine that – your entire arm and shoulder being attached by only one structure as far as boney joints are concerned.
The rest of the attachments to the upper body are made exclusively of soft tissue (muscles and connective tissue). This creates a double-edged sword. Although we benefit from having a shoulder joint that has more range of motion than any other joint in the body, at times we suffer by having a joint that is vulnerable to injury in a variety of ways.
Increased automation and computer work in occupations has us sitting longer, and this encourages a rounded back/shoulder posture that promotes tightening of the chest muscles and shoulder extensors (pec major and minor, and latissimus dorsi) along with chronic strain and lengthening of the upper back muscles (rhomboids).
Most athletes appreciate that a warm-up period before a workout is beneficial to performance. A typical warm-up increases blood flow to the extremity muscles, making them more flexible and preparing them to withstand the constant loading of a workout.
However, it has been my experience that most athletes don’t consider their shoulders/arms as body parts that need to be warmed up. Swimmers at a high level have been educated on this, but the age group triathletes and swimmers seem not to warm up their shoulders on a consistent basis. And, with stretching being an activity that needs to be performed regularly to be effective, they don’t do themselves any favors by stretching only when something feels tight.
Before a workout - and this is especially true for swimmers and cyclists - a functional, active warm-up should be incorporated into training.
This can be accomplished with the following 5-10 minute routine:
Arm Circles Forward - Fairly self explanatory. Keep the elbow straight and rotate the arm forward, focusing on rotation at the shoulder. Think about actively lifting as the arm is raised, and then let the arm fall through the range of motion from the raised position. This should feel reasonably effortless and be done at a relaxed, unforced speed. Lead with the thumb. Repeat for 10 rotations
Arm Circles Backward - Same as arm circles forward, except lead with the pinky instead for 10 rotations. Go forward and back with the same arm, then forward and back with the opposite arm.
Shoulder Shrugs Forward - Shrug the shoulders forward, then up to the ears and back around in a circular motion. Both shoulders can be shrugged simultaneously. Repeat for 10 rotations.
Shoulder Shrugs Backward - Same as above, but in reverse.
Figure of Eight, Thumb Lead – This one can be a little tricky. To start, hold your arm straight out in front of you. Leading with the thumb, take your arm down in an arc across the body. Turn the hand over as you bring it back up in a figure 8 motion. If you are doing this right, your palm will be facing down for the first ½ of the motion, and up for the second half. This promotes a warm-up of the rotational muscles of the shoulder.
Figure of Eight, Pinky Lead – Same as above, but lead with the pinky. You’ll be reversing the path you trace around the figure of 8 with this exercise.
Touch and Fling – Touch both hands as far over the head and down the back as you can. Then let them drop forward and down into extension with increasing speed.
Side Drop – Start with one hand reaching up your back as far as possible, now let it swing down in front of you as the other arm comes up to reach down the back as far as possible. Repeat 10 times on each side.
By incorporating this simple routine into your pre-swim or pre-cycling workout routine you will find a consistent increase in range of motion of your shoulders during your workout, and this will lead to fewer injuries in the future.
Dr. Ryan Iverach - Vancouver, BC
http://www.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *
The rest of the attachments to the upper body are made exclusively of soft tissue (muscles and connective tissue). This creates a double-edged sword. Although we benefit from having a shoulder joint that has more range of motion than any other joint in the body, at times we suffer by having a joint that is vulnerable to injury in a variety of ways.
Increased automation and computer work in occupations has us sitting longer, and this encourages a rounded back/shoulder posture that promotes tightening of the chest muscles and shoulder extensors (pec major and minor, and latissimus dorsi) along with chronic strain and lengthening of the upper back muscles (rhomboids).
Most athletes appreciate that a warm-up period before a workout is beneficial to performance. A typical warm-up increases blood flow to the extremity muscles, making them more flexible and preparing them to withstand the constant loading of a workout.
However, it has been my experience that most athletes don’t consider their shoulders/arms as body parts that need to be warmed up. Swimmers at a high level have been educated on this, but the age group triathletes and swimmers seem not to warm up their shoulders on a consistent basis. And, with stretching being an activity that needs to be performed regularly to be effective, they don’t do themselves any favors by stretching only when something feels tight.
Before a workout - and this is especially true for swimmers and cyclists - a functional, active warm-up should be incorporated into training.
This can be accomplished with the following 5-10 minute routine:
Arm Circles Forward - Fairly self explanatory. Keep the elbow straight and rotate the arm forward, focusing on rotation at the shoulder. Think about actively lifting as the arm is raised, and then let the arm fall through the range of motion from the raised position. This should feel reasonably effortless and be done at a relaxed, unforced speed. Lead with the thumb. Repeat for 10 rotations
Arm Circles Backward - Same as arm circles forward, except lead with the pinky instead for 10 rotations. Go forward and back with the same arm, then forward and back with the opposite arm.
Shoulder Shrugs Forward - Shrug the shoulders forward, then up to the ears and back around in a circular motion. Both shoulders can be shrugged simultaneously. Repeat for 10 rotations.
Shoulder Shrugs Backward - Same as above, but in reverse.
Figure of Eight, Thumb Lead – This one can be a little tricky. To start, hold your arm straight out in front of you. Leading with the thumb, take your arm down in an arc across the body. Turn the hand over as you bring it back up in a figure 8 motion. If you are doing this right, your palm will be facing down for the first ½ of the motion, and up for the second half. This promotes a warm-up of the rotational muscles of the shoulder.
Figure of Eight, Pinky Lead – Same as above, but lead with the pinky. You’ll be reversing the path you trace around the figure of 8 with this exercise.
Touch and Fling – Touch both hands as far over the head and down the back as you can. Then let them drop forward and down into extension with increasing speed.
Side Drop – Start with one hand reaching up your back as far as possible, now let it swing down in front of you as the other arm comes up to reach down the back as far as possible. Repeat 10 times on each side.
By incorporating this simple routine into your pre-swim or pre-cycling workout routine you will find a consistent increase in range of motion of your shoulders during your workout, and this will lead to fewer injuries in the future.
Dr. Ryan Iverach - Vancouver, BChttp://www.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *