Stop It Before It Starts: Simple Tips to Prevent Shoulder Pain

If you’ve ever suffered a shoulder injury, then you know how debilitating it can be. Not only are you experiencing persistent pain, but most shoulder injuries also restrict the range of motion in the joint, making day-to-day tasks — from grabbing a cup off the high shelf to brushing your hair — feel nearly impossible. At OSR, our team of physical therapists will work with you to identify and resolve the underlying causes of your shoulder pain. We offer acute pain relief and can guide you through complete shoulder rehabilitation regardless of whether or not you require surgery — and often, you can resolve a shoulder injury with physical therapy alone!

But that process can take a while, and we want to help you avoid shoulder injuries, too. While we do incorporate injury prevention information into our rehab programs, it’s never a bad time to start incorporating small changes into your routine that can help prevent shoulder pain.

If you’d like to learn more about how we help prevent and alleviate shoulder pain, call us to schedule an appointment today!

Request Appointment

What Causes Shoulder Pain and Injury, Anyway?

Your shoulder is an incredibly complex ball-and-socket joint with several moving parts, including:

  • Three separate bones: the humerus (arm bone), scapula (shoulder blade), and clavicle (collarbone)
  • Cartilage that wraps and protects these bones from rubbing against each other
  • Three main ligaments that connect your shoulder’s bones
  • A collection of muscles and tendons known as the rotator cuff that wrap and support the shoulder joint
  • Bursae: small fluid-filled sacs that protect your tendons

Damaging any of these structures can lead to shoulder pain, weakness, and immobility. Some people injure their shoulders through sudden, acute injuries, especially if they’re active — a hard fall on the football field could tear your rotator cuff or dislocate the arm bone out of your shoulder socket.

However, many shoulder injuries are actually overuse injuries, meaning the pain and immobility symptoms occur due to repeated micro-injuries in your shoulder’s tissue. Often, sports-related shoulder injuries are actually due to overuse, as repeated overhead motions (such as throwing a ball or certain swimming strokes) put stress on the shoulder joint, leading to symptoms.

Using improper form can also contribute to overuse injuries, as can having improper posture — a weak upper back strains your shoulder muscles, making them do more work than needed. 

Preventing shoulder pain is really about preventing these overuse injuries. By making small changes, you can keep your shoulders strong, healthy, and pain-free!

5 Ways You Can Help Prevent Shoulder Pain

  1. Strengthen your upper body: Strong upper back and shoulder muscles are better able to provide the shoulder joint with the support and stability it needs, meaning you’ll be less likely to suffer an injury. Not sure how to get started? Our PTs can walk you through some appropriate exercises.
  2. Keep your mobility: We can show you simple range of motion exercises that will get the blood flowing to your joints, keeping them healthy. Reaching overhead, across your body, or behind your back are all basic stretches that can do wonders — just make sure you never force a movement! 
  3. Don’t forget to warm up first: Many popular recreational activities put you at risk for a shoulder injury, including swimming, pickleball, and tennis. It’s crucial that you warm up your shoulder before you dive in. Try some quick cardio paired with active shoulder stretches (like arm circles).
  4. Maintain proper posture: Proper posture isn’t about standing up straight all the time; it’s about maintaining postural awareness and keeping your spine in alignment no matter what you’re doing. And if you have a sedentary job, move around regularly. Both habits will help keep your upper back and shoulder strong.
  5. Pay attention to ergonomics: If your workspace isn’t shoulder-friendly, you might wind up with an overuse injury. Simple changes — like adjusting the height of your computer monitor or maintaining good posture when using hand tools — will reduce repetitive stress and lower your chances of developing shoulder pain.

Ergonomic Tips for Good Shoulder Health

Ergonomics is a field of study focused on optimizing the environments in which people work, ensuring a safe, happy, and productive workplace. Whether you work in an office or at a construction site, your job might contribute to your shoulder pain. Simple ergonomic adjustments can help minimize your risk of a shoulder injury.

If You Have an Office Job…

  • Adjust the height of your desk and chair to ensure your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle.
  • Make sure your mouse is close enough to your keyboard that you don’t overreach to use it.
  • Adjust your monitor so the top is at or slightly below eye level.
  • Take frequent breaks throughout the day to get up, move around, and stretch.

If You Have a Manual Job…

  • Avoid bending your torso to pick up items (even if they aren’t heavy). Instead, use positioning devices (like a forklift) to bring the items right in front of you.
  • Avoid repeatedly lifting items above your head whenever possible, and remember to keep what you’re lifting close to your body.
  • Take regular breaks, especially if you’re performing repetitive movements.
  • Always warm up before starting your day!

Call OSR for Customized Tips

Want more personalized ergonomic advice from our team of physical therapists? Call to schedule an appointment today!

Request Appointment

Need A Little Help? We’ve Got You

The OSR physical therapists can help you prevent shoulder injuries as easily as we can treat them! Whether you’re looking for a shoulder stretch and strengthen routine, postural corrections, or some simple ergonomic adjustments, we’re here for you. Call us today to get started!

Contact us

Refer a Friend For a Chance to Be Entered in Our Drawing to Win $500!

Is it possible for OSR Physical Therapy to assist someone you know? It can be hard to convince a friend to seek physical therapy, especially if they are resistant. A good first step is to have an honest and open conversation with them about how physical therapy helped you and why you think they may benefit from physical therapy as well. Explain that physical therapy is a safe, non-invasive way to help treat pain, improve movement, and increase strength and flexibility. Let them know that you will be there to help them through their journey and you can celebrate all the things you can do again together!

If you know someone who could benefit from our services, please send them our way!

Refer A Friend

Green Muffins Recipe — Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour white whole wheat flour or spelt flour 
  • 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup pure maple syrup
  • ¾ cup dairy or non-dairy milk such as almond milk
  • ¼ cup unrefined coconut oil melted
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 5- or 6-ounce bag of fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 2 medium ripe bananas mashed

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with unbleached parchment liners.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a blender add egg, maple syrup, milk, oil, vanilla and spinach.  Process until pureed.
  4. Add spinach mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Fold in the mashed banana.
  5. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin, filling cups about ¾ full.  I like to do this with a large ice cream scooper.  Bake about 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Store at room temperature up to 3 days.  These freeze nicely!
Sources: