Shoulder shrugging with stress, tension and repetitive activities is very common and can cause the shoulders to start to gravitate towards the ears. The muscles on
the tops of the shoulders can become very tight which can cause sustained shoulder shrugging. When the shoulder blade rises with a shoulder shrug, this decreases the space in the shoulder joint and can cause rotator cuff problems or other shoulder pain.
Posture plays a very important role in shoulder health. See the picture below which demonstrates what happens to the muscles with poor posture. These muscular imbalances can decrease the smoothness of movement and cause pain. It is important to focus on exercises that encourage the shoulder blade down and back.
**Be aware of your posture throughout the day!**
Easy beginner shoulder exercises:
Shoulder CAR (Controlled Articular Rotations) in quadruped:
Start on hands and knees with knees under hips and hands under shoulders. Keep spine neutral throughout. Lift one arm up from the ground, reach forward and stretch as far as possible, circle the arm up and back and finish in starting position. Then complete motion in the opposite direction.
Scapular Retraction with Arm Lift:
Start by lying down flat or on a bench. Retract and “set” the shoulder blade first and then lift arms off the table if able. Think about squeezing the muscles in between the lower shoulder blade area. Start with 5 sec holds, increasing as able.
