The way how the parts of a human body are connected internally is indeed fascinating. They are so interlinked with each other that if one suffers from pain or discomfort, the others too start feeling the same. Take our joints, for example. Pain in the shoulder joint can even induce pain in the neck, back, arms, and so on. Hence, it is necessary to treat the root cause of pain to prevent others from aching.
Our shoulder joint is no different from others. In fact, it is one of the most complex joints in the human body, having a combination of several bones, tendons, and muscles. The ball-and-socket joint called shoulder that allows our arm to move in a various range of motion, surprisingly, has no bony connection to the rest of the skeleton hence is the most unstable one.Long-sitting job, poor posture, hardcore exercises, lifting heavy weights, an injury, dislocation, frozen shoulder, bicipital tendinitis, rotator cuff injury, cervical radiculopathy, osteoarthritis, etc. build up the tension in our shoulder joint which if not released can trigger shoulder pain and stiffness. Here are a few simple stiff shoulder exercises that will help release the tightness of your shoulder as well as the neck joint.
1. Shoulder rolls
● Sit or stand, keeping your back straight.● Breathe in and slowly lift your shoulders toward the ears.
● Move the shoulders back, squeezing the shoulder blades together.
● Hold here for a few seconds and slowly lower your shoulders back down.
● Reverse and repeat.
2. Cross-arm stretch
● Bring your left arm up to your chest level.● Bend the left arm at the elbow & grab your left arm by your right hand.
● Stretch out to your shoulder and hold for 30 seconds.
● Repeat on the other side and relax.
3. Cat-cow Pose
● Position your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips.● Inhale and fill your belly with air and drop it down as you look up at the ceiling, lifting your chin and chest.
● As you exhale, engage your abdominals, tuck your chin into your chest, and round your spine.
● Inhale and come back to the cow pose, and exhale and return to the cat pose.
● Repeat this a few times paying attention to your shoulders.
4. Ear to shoulder
● Sit with a straight spine and slowly lean your head toward your right shoulder.● Try to go as far as possible without straining or lifting your left shoulder.
● Use your right hand to deepen the stretch and to pull your head down gently.
● Hold for a few seconds and repeat on the opposite side.
5. T, Y, and I movements
● Stand with your back to a wall and palms facing out.● Slowly bring your arms up to make a T shape, keeping your arms and back in contact with the wall.
● Now continue bringing your arms up to make a Y shape and lastly an I shape, touching your thumbs overhead.
● Focus on keeping your shoulder blades flat against the wall (not allowing them to stick out or wing).
● Hold each shape for few seconds and repeat.
In a nutshell Shoulder stretches have numerous potential health benefits because when a muscle stretches, its fibers and the surrounding fascia, or bands of connective tissue, extend to full length. By releasing the tension of your tight shoulders, you will improve their mobility, reduce stress and relieve pain, lessen the risk of muscle and joint injury, and improve your posture. Moreover, shoulder stretching exercises also enhance the function of the neck as well as the arms. Ins short, regular practice of stiff shoulder exercises along with the use of electrotherapy device likeSONICTENS can keep your shoulders smooth and flexible.