Reduce Shoulder Pain by Increasing your Thoracic Mobility

Shoulders are the joints with most range of motion in the human body. These joints allow us to move in every plane of motion; without the shoulder joint we would not be able to perform any of our favorite activities such as weight lifting, shooting a basketball, swimming or perhaps just holding on to the steering wheel to go for a drive. However, this ability to freely move in every direction increases the probability of injury to the shoulder. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 9% of adults (Aged>18) had shoulder pain in 2006. One of the most common injuries to the shoulder is impingement of the anterior capsule and soft tissue structures, which can further cause Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, labrum tears, and rotator cuff tears if it is not addressed in a timely manner.

As Sports Medicine professionals, it is our jobs to prevent traumas and correct what already is bothering our clients. A good method to reduce shoulder injuries and pain is to have proper thoracic spine mobility. This means normal range of motion and kinetics of the scapulae and thoracic spine. If the scapulae and thoracic spine are not moving correctly and have poor range of motion, the shoulders have to overcompensate for the slack, putting excessive stress in soft tissue structures such as tendons, ligaments and bursae. Special attention must be given to overhead athletes because they are more likely to get hurt as compared to other clients or populations. Eric Cressey explains how throwers’ shoulder should be treated and stretched in his article Improving Thoracic Mobility in Throwers,

Fitness Pain Free recommends the following thoracic mobility program for athletes seeking healthy, strong shoulders:

1. Get a foam roller, or tape 2 tennis balls together.
2. Lay so that the bottom portion of your thoracic spine is right on the roller or tennis balls.
3. Extend your spine over the roller or balls and then crunch back up.  Repeat 5 times.
4. Take the roller or balls about an inch further up your spine and repeat.
5. Repeat until you get up to the base of your neck.

Always remember to take care of your shoulders, keep them strong but flexible as well. The more range of motion you have, the stronger you can be.