Shoulder Health Exercises – Why So Complicated?

Do you find yourself cringing from shoulder pain when you reach into the back seat of your car?

Have you stopped reaching into overhead cabinets because of pinching in your shoulder?

You may have gotten various opinions from friends, family and colleagues on what’s going on with your shoulder and what to do about it – from surgery, to meds, to various shoulder health exercises. Their advice may have sounded something like this…

“Yeah that’s what it felt like when I tore my rotator cuff.”

“My doctor injected cortisone into mine and it worked for awhile.”

“That’s just what happens when you get older. You should stop lifting such heavy weights.”

You may also have searched the web for shoulder health exercises and tried a few with no change in your pain. Maybe a friend showed you their own exercises and it actually made your condition worse, making you feel like something must be terribly wrong.

1. Taking anti-inflammatory medications
2. Rest and ice
3. Massage
4. Ignoring it and hoping for the best
5. Stretching
6. Physical therapy

There is a ton of information out there on shoulder health exercises and many different opinions on what can help or harm. This can make it difficult to know what you should be doing, what to avoid, and what level of discomfort is ok. It leads to a frustrating cycle of trying something, flaring your shoulder up, resting your shoulder, and repeat. That is, until you end up just resting it because you’re afraid that doing anything will bother you.

The reason the exercise selection can seem so difficult is because it is. There are 17 muscles that attache to your shoulder blade. In order for your arms to work properly they all need to work together. At any point during strengthening your shoulder, some of these muscles may need to be strengthened, while others need to be mobilized or lengthened.

If you’re confused, you’re not alone. If you’re already thinking you’d like to speak with an expert about your shoulder health click the button below to go to our contact page and fill out a brief form. 

1. Act now. The longer you wait, the longer you’ll aggravate your shoulder. You may even end up irritating your neck and elbow as you work around your shoulder restrictions.
2. Get help from someone who understands that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to shoulder pain.
3. Collaborate with your Doctor to establish a movement and exercise program dedicated to fixing the root cause of your shoulder pain. You can see our “4 Great Shoulder Health Exercises” post that shows some examples of movements that may be beneficial. While these movements can be beneficial for some, there are 17 muscles that attach to your shoulder blade, further evaluation is usually necessary. 
4. Ensure this movement and exercise program incorporates the right elements and avoids common errors by checking out our “Common Errors in Shoulder Health Exercises” post.
5. Work with the right physical therapist. At The Doctors of Physical Therapy we pride ourselves on being able to take on complex low back pain issues head on and make lasting changes and help people get back to spending time with their friends and family. We do not use any aides or technicians so your time is spent 1-on-1 with an expert the entire session.

Done with the conflicting opinions and frustrated with the lack of change in your shoulder?

You might be a good fit to apply for one of our free 30-minute consultations. You’ll get to speak 1-on-1 with our experts on what the best direction is to fix your shoulder. We offer just 4 per month, so act decisively!

1. By finding the root cause of your individual issue, we typically can make changes in your pain and function within the first few sessions.
2. Often reducing shoulder pain means that you can sleep more peacefully, without being interrupted by back pain when you change positions. This often has great effects on your overall mood and energy level.
3. You’ll learn what is going on, why it occurred, and why it keeps coming back.
4. By working with you to fix your back pain, we can help you avoid pills and medications that wreak havoc on your organs.
5. We emphasize you getting you better between our sessions – meaning that you can take ownership and feel in control of your body again.
6. You can start getting back to the things that make you who you are.
7. By making your shoulder strong the right way we can help you avoid surgery down the road.

We’re committed to getting you back to the life you love and maintaining that long-term. We don’t just throw random shoulder health exercises at you and hope that they help. At DPT, we are as passionate about getting you better, as you are about getting back to your life.

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Ready To Get Started On The Right Shoulder Health Exercise Program?

Call 480-482-651 to inquire and see if you’re a good fit for working with our team of experts.