Shoulder exercises

Here are 4 simple shoulder exercises. The exercises were developed by Ben Kibler, and he has scientifically documented the effect of these exercises on stabilizing the shoulder blade.

Why does doing shoulder exercises actually help? The principle is that the arm is attached to the shoulder blade and the shoulder blade is the foundation of the arm. The shoulder blade is attached to the chest wall via the collarbone and many different muscles. If there is an imbalance in these muscles, the shoulder blade moves incorrectly when using the arm. This misalignment of all movements ultimately leads to pain. In other words, the training aims to restore the balance of these muscles that control the shoulder blade.

The shoulder exercises listed below are exercises that train the Serratus anterious and Trapezius inferior muscles. It is typically these two muscles that have been weakened in a number of shoulder pain conditions. Especially for impingement and snapping scapula disorders.

To complement the shoulder exercises, we recommend the sleeper stretch (which stretches the posterior joint capsule) and stretching the front of the shoulder by stretching the pectoralis minor muscle.

Want to read more about shoulder pain and various shoulder problems? click here

Link to shoulder exercises via the Danish Arthritis Society

Shoulder blades in your back pocket

A lot of it is about posture and unfortunately, most people tend to slump their shoulders and let them fall forward. Good posture is a straight back and shoulder blades in your back pocket. You should try to be aware of this during the waking hours of the day. A physiotherapist can help. Temporary taping can be a good idea. The exercises below will help you build and maintain good shoulder posture. 

Inferior glide

Low row

Robbery

Lawnmower

Sleeper’s stretch