Many traditional shoulder exercises that we learn to do at the gym or at home are designed to strengthen larger muscles around the shoulder including the biceps, upper trapezius, pectoralis major, and latissimus dorsi. These exercises can be great but if done incorrectly can be the cause of chronic shoulder pain. Depending on your posture and alignment when performing these common exercises, you may put extra strain on your rotator cuff or biceps tendon. When repetitively over-strained, these tendons can be inflamed and even develop micro-tears. There is also a risk of creating an imbalance of the shoulder if we focus on strengthening certain muscle groups while we ignore opposing muscle groups that tend to be weaker.

Here are some common exercises that require attention to your posture or lead to an imbalance of the shoulder girdle:

-Shoulder shrugs

-Bench Press

-Biceps curls

-Triceps dips

-Overhead press

These exercises can be very helpful but it is important to make sure you feel the work happening in the right area. It is also important to incorporate exercises to strengthen the following muscles that may be weaker.

Weaker/inhibited muscles:

-middle and lower trapezius

-rotator cuff muscles

-rhomboids

If you are concerned that you may aggravating your shoulder with your strengthening routine, please call us to schedule an evaluation or free screen.

Results Rehab (619) 437-6450

Results@resultsrehab.com