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Your Shoulder Pain May Be the Result of a Muscular Imbalance |
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| What we commonly call the "shoulder joint" is referred to by
doctors as the gleno-humeral (GH) joint. This is the point where your upper arm (i.e.
humerus) attaches to the lateral end of your shoulder blade (i.e. scapula). Most of your
shoulder's motion is due to movement of your arm at the GH joint. The remainder is caused
by smaller movements of the scapula. The GH joint is a shallow ball-and-socket joint that allows your arm to move freely in all directions. This joint's inherent flexibility, however, makes it relatively unstable. It's function depends heavily on the coordinated strength of the surrounding muscles. To better understand this instability, consider the following analogy:
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| Your deltoids, pectorals, latissimus dorsi, teres major, and rotator
cuff muscles (subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor) all cross the
shoulder joint and attach to your upper arm. In addition to moving your arm, they help
hold its proper position in the GH joint. Because these muscles have different origins of
attachment, each one, like the guy wires, pulls your arm in a different direction. Shoulder muscles are commonly classified as being either internal rotators or external rotators. The largest shoulder muscles, including the pectorals, latissimus dorsi, and teres major, are all internal rotators. This means that in addition to moving your arm forward or backward, they also cause some inward rotation of your arm. The corresponding external rotation is produced almost entirely by two small muscles of the rotator cuff -- the infraspinatus and the teres minor. |
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| Almost all athletic activities stimulate your internal rotators to a much greater degree than your external rotators. Throwing a baseball, serving a tennis ball, and bench pressing a weight are just a few examples. By repetitively performing such activities, your internal rotators are strengthened while your external rotators become relatively weaker. Gradually, the structure of your shoulder is compromised. Your upper arm shifts a little bit forward in the GH joint and presses a little harder on the surrounding nerves, your internal rotators shorten slightly and tighten, and your external rotators lose some of their original tone. Your shoulder strength begins to erode, and you increasingly experience incidents of nonspecific shoulder pain. | |
Correct Your Muscular Imbalance with a Simple & Effective Rehabilitation Program |
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| If your shoulder dysfunction is the result of a muscular imbalance, the
cure is to make adjustments to your exercise program that counter this imbalance.
Specifically, you'll need to stretch your internal rotators (to allow your shoulders to
return to a more natural position) and strengthen your external rotators (to increase your
shoulders' stability). Almost any stretching movement that forces your upper arms backward and upward will stretch your internal rotators. One of our favorites is a simple pectoral stretch, performed one arm at a time. Begin by standing beside a vertical structure, such as a doorway or the corner of a building. Place your palm and forearm against the structure, with your elbow bent 90 degrees and at approximately shoulder height. Take a small step forward and slowly rotate your body away from your raised arm. Maintain a gentle but persistent stretch across the front of your shoulder for at least 20 seconds, then repeat for your opposite shoulder. Strengthening your external rotators is the most challenging part of your rehabilitation, because very few exercises stimulate the infraspinatus and teres minor directly, and it's easy to perform those exercises improperly. That's exactly why the ShoulderHorn was created. |
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Use the ShoulderHorn to Isolate and Strengthen Your External Rotators |
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| The external rotation exercise is similar to a tennis backhand stroke -- your elbow is bent 90 degrees and stays in one position, while your hand and forearm pivot backward. This exercise can be done either with your upper arm held flat against your side or with your arm partially raised (horizontally abducted). From an athlete's standpoint, there are two compelling reasons to perform this exercise in the abducted position: | |
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| External rotation in an abducted position should only be done with
proper support, however. If the weight of your upper arms isn't completely supported,
other muscles of your shoulder and upper back (e.g. deltoid, trapezius) will activate and
decrease the amount of benefit your infraspinatus and teres minor receive from this
exercise. In addition, if the position of your upper arm is to high or too far back,
there's a risk of impingement between your humerus and acromion (the hook-shaped bone
structure at the top of your scapula). The ShoulderHorn automatically locks your shoulders and arms in the safest and most effective position for abducted external rotation. The ShoulderHorn has also been clinically proven to be significantly more effective for increasing external rotator strength than dumbbells alone. Use the ShoulderHorn with a pair of hand-held weights, as shown below. Beginners may use as little as 2 lbs of weight for this movement, and even the strongest athletes will need less than 20 lbs. For this reason, a small medicine ball, or even a can of soup, can provide suitable resistance if dumbbells aren't available. A training booklet, included with the ShoulderHorn, provides additional details on this exercise and how to best incorporate it into your training or rehabilitation schedule. |
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See Real Improvements in Your Strength |
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The ShoulderHorn has helped many athletes regain strength and prevent
further injury. Here's what a few of them have to say:
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Choose From 3 Different Sizes |
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The ShoulderHorn is made from a single length of formed steel tubing,
and is covered in dense foam padding. It's extremely strong, yet surprisingly light in
weight (under 3 lbs), and is available in three sizes. Use the information below as a
general guide when ordering. Choose the next size up if you are between sizes or have
exceptionally broad shoulders.
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| To find your nearest ShoulderHorn retailer, please see our Retailers page. |
