Shoulder Plague

Shoulder problems continue to plague us.  A lot of the blame goes on the widespread usage of computers.  So many jobs these days require us to sit too long at a computer.  More on that in a minute.

The vast majority of shoulder problems that I see are impacted by posture.  One of the first things I do when I evaluate someone with shoulder problems is to look at them from the front. 

When I look at them, do I see the back of their hands?  I look at them from the side. Are their shoulders inturned? I look at them from the back. Are their shoulder blades farther away from the spine than they need to be?

That’s the postural component that I’m talking about. So much of our world is in front of us these days. It’s not just the computers but a lot of the other things that we do, the way we spend our lives.

If you have shoulder pain, you may hear the term “impingement.” That’s a fancy word for “pinching” and has to do with the rotator cuff.

A little anatomy lesson. The rotator cuff is a group of flat, small muscles that surround the head of the humerus (the upper arm bone) and are essential to normal shoulder movement and function.

That postural component that I talked about earlier allows the head of the humerus to sit in the front of the shoulder joint, impinging on the rotator cuff. That hurts. If you ignore it long enough, impingement can lead to other, bigger problems.

So, for those of you that sit at a computer all day, you’ve got to take breaks. At least every 15 minutes, step away from the computer, stretch your arms backward, relax, shake, and then go back to it. That doesn’t take but 15-20 seconds and your work will still get done.

Another thing that I see on a regular basis is a shoulder problem that is caused by improper strength training form or misguided focus in the strength training program.

Bad form needs to be corrected by a strength coach.  The best advice does not come from your friend or from the guy down the street with big muscles.  Look for experts in the field and then listen to them.

I see way too much focus on the anterior chest and the front of the shoulders. I must admit that I’m not a big fan of the bench press.  I know it has its place but it gets way too much attention.

Particularly among young lifters, what’s the first question one asks another?  “How much can you bench?” It is their measuring stick when they should be more focused on performance and on a whole body exercise like power cleans.

There is no doubt that some athletes need the bulk and power that comes from lifts like the bench press, but over four decades of experience in this field tells me clearly that it is the source of shoulder problems in far too many people—people who really have no need for a big chest.

Same thing for the biceps. “Curls for girls” has been a motto since I was young. Focus on the biceps without similar focus on the triceps does nothing for performance or injury prevention.

Don’t get me wrong—strength training is essential, not just in athletic performance but in staying healthy. Unless you are a competing athlete, strength training is more important in your 40’s, 50’s, and older than it is in your 20’s.  You lose significant amounts of muscles mass as you get older and to combat the bad sides of aging, you need regular strength training.

That doesn’t mean just to hit the gym and do what sounds good. There are tons of local people that really know how to help you to better health through the weight room. Use them.