Shoulders = New Low Back?!

I heard that saying a few week ago listening to Physical Therapist John Rusin at a Personal Training conference. Sadly, it’s true! The increase in shoulder injuries is on the rise! Fast! Due to a change in our daily habits that involve…..

Posture-You are reading this message right now hunched over your cell phone or computer. Straighten up!!

Dumb exercise selection over time, overuse injury. Or Really dumb exercise selection=short amount of time!  Doing kipping pull-ups or dips with your hands behind your back is like raising your hand asking for a shoulder surgery. Or just about any exercise done with 40 other people in a group class that does not correct technique! Or the people doing rowing machines with terrible technique. Or the people sitting on machines “playing it safe.” They don’t understand that machines have a very limited range of motion which causes additional stress on the shoulder joint due to an unnatural path that has to be followed.

Overuse injuries from sports! Let’s do the math. If little Tommy throws more pitches before  13 than John Smoltz threw in his career,  then…..take a wild guess as to what will happen? Not just baseball, but any athlete that has to take his arm overhead, over and over again! A child that lacks an off-season, combined with a terrible (or non-existent) strength and conditioning program= getting injured. Your child’s coach is not an expert in injury prevention, trust me.  I am not an expert at teaching him to play a sport. We all need to stay in our lane, work together!

So Today a few tips that can help you reduce the chance of a shoulder injury. Before we get into specific tips lets take care of some housekeeping…

✔Check your ego at the door. Most exercise related injuries happen because you try to progress too quick! Do not compare yourself to others. Build a solid foundation with good technique!

✔ If you are working out in a group setting with 25 to 40 people and they don’t take the time to meet with you as individual, good luck with that.  If they have everyone doing the same thing regardless of  previous exercise history or injuries….Call the physical therapist BEFORE signing up for these places. I can guarantee you will need one! Recent Studies show getting injured while exercising slows down the rate of fat loss, and hurts.

✔You are not “too old” to train pain free. You probably just need to meet with a professional that can design a program specific to your needs! YOU CAN TRAIN WITHOUT PAIN, OR AT LEAST WORK TOWARDS IT!

✔ If you have to resort to a physical therapist do your research! If they try to sign you up for a 5 year contract BEFORE doing an assessment something is wrong. If they just throw you in the back room with a 20 year old equipped with a google printout, then? The same way you NEED TO RESEARCH YOUR TRAINER! YOU NEED TO RESEARCH YOUR THERAPIST!!!

✔There is a big difference between a minor shoulder issue and a major shoulder issue. Of course seek doctors, therapists, and experts if you have a major shoulder issue! If you have a minor shoulder issue and do nothing about it, then it will BECOME A MAJOR SHOULDER ISSUE! The majority of minor issues will improve or get better if you …….