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 National Physical Therapy, 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 a 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!
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!
Five Ways You Can Help Prevent Shoulder Pain
- 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.
- 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!
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
Need A Little Help? We’ve Got You.
The National PT 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 for you.
Call us today to get started!
Say Goodbye to Pain – Get Started with PT Now!
Miss feeling your best? Come back to National Physical Therapy and let us help you get there—schedule your appointment today!
Healthy Recipe:
JACKFRUIT PULLED PORK SANDWICHES
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, or high heat oil of choice
- 1 small onion, sliced into strips
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (20 ounce or 567 gram) cans young green jackfruit in brine, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups vegan barbecue sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For Serving
- 6 sandwich rolls
- Vegan coleslaw, or toppings of choice
Directions
- Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with oil and place it over medium-high heat.
- Give the oil a minute to heat up, and then add the onion.
- Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it softens and begins to brown.
- Add the garlic and cook it for about 1 minute, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Add the jackfruit, soy sauce and liquid smoke.
- Cook everything for about 5 minutes, until most of the liquid cooks off. While the jackfruit cooks, use a spoon to being breaking up the large chunks.
- Sprinkle the jackfruit with the smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Stir a few times and continue cooking the jackfruit with the spices for about 1 minute.
- Stir in the barbecue sauce.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and allow it to cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add a splash of water if the sauce becomes too thick while cooking.
- While the jackfruit simmers, take a couple of forks and pull the pieces apart to create a stringy texture.
- The jackfruit is finished cooking when it is tender and stringy, resembling pulled pork, and the sauce is thick.
- Stuff the pulled jackfruit into buns and top with toppings of choice.
- Serve.
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 National Physical Therapy for Customized Tips
Want more personalized ergonomic advice from our team of physical therapists? Call to schedule an appointment today!
Our Patients Get Great Results
“It was very good, very professional and high-quality staff, very friendly, and a pleasure. Thanks to THEM I am recovering!”
– Mario G.
Thank you for subscribing to National Physical Therapy
3 Simple Ways To Make Hydration A Habit
Do you drink enough water each day? Proper hydration is always important, but in preparation for the upcoming hot summer months, we should all take a few extra precautions to ensure we are drinking enough water.
Drinking enough water each day is crucial for a variety of reasons. Drinking water helps regulate body temperature, lubricates joints, prevents infections, delivers nutrients to cells, and keeps organs functioning properly. Hydration also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood.
Experts recommend that women should drink roughly 11 cups of water per day and men should aim for 16. If these numbers are higher than you’re used to, check out these 3 tips on ways to make hydration a habit.
1. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning.
Before eating breakfast or having your morning coffee, try to drink at least one glass of water. Just a few sips of water in the morning can help to re-energize you and leave you feeling refreshed.
To make things easier on yourself, try placing a glass of water on your nightstand the night before, so you can start drinking immediately in the morning!
2. Add fruits or vegetables to your water.
If you’re the type to complain that water tastes too plain, know that there are many natural additives that can change this! Adding a zest of lemon or a handful of sliced cucumbers to your water can make this drink more fun.
3. Set reminders on your phone to hydrate.
Are you exceptionally busy during the day? Between work, taking care of children, running errands, and getting outside, summer can be a busy season.
If you always have your phone handy, why not put it to a productive use? Try setting reminders every couple of hours to hydrate, so you don’t forget amongst all the summer fun.
Meet Our Team
 Lisa Gusti
PTA,RN
