How to get rid of shoulder pain? These are some recommendations

About one in four people struggle with shoulder pain. Although some injuries happen suddenly and from trauma, damage can occur over time.

Luckily, you can take steps to protect your shoulder, such as strengthening, stretching, and gradually increasing activities that require you to move your arms overhead.

Strengthening the muscles around the shoulder increases its endurance. Work the large muscles in the upper back and chest and the smaller stabilizing muscles that surround the shoulder and scapula.

Exercise programs such as Thrower’s 10, designed to strengthen the joint in athletes performing high-risk overhead movements, have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of injury.

If you don’t do these types of activities, some exercises can help keep your shoulders healthy as you age. Ioonna Felix, owner of Optimal Performance, in New York, recommended scapular rows and shoulder extensions with a band, as well as scapular retraction. To do this, lie on your stomach, with your arms at your sides and your palms facing the floor. Pull your shoulder blades back and down as you raise your arms to hip level; hold for a couple of seconds and slowly relax.

Before you try a sport that involves swinging your arms or lifting weights overhead, test your mobility.

First, stand facing a wall, touching it with your toes, and see if you can raise one arm at a time above your head to touch the wall, palm open. Then lower your hand to touch the back of your neck, keeping your elbow out. Finally, lower your arm to your side and reach behind your back, looking to touch the opposite shoulder blade with the back of your hand. If you struggle with these movements, improve your range of motion by performing them until you feel a stretch and hold for 30 seconds to a minute. Do this three to five times, twice a week.

Also exercise your lower body. The weaker your legs and core are, the more force your shoulder must generate.

Rest and rebalance if you feel mild pain. Usually, a minor inflammation or discomfort resolves in a few days.

Once the pain subsides, consider whether your routines could benefit from rebalancing the effort on the shoulder. For example, if you’re a rock climber and you’re always climbing a wall, try some moves in the opposite direction, like push-ups.

If pain persists, see a medical professional. Some injuries only get worse.

By: CINDY KUZMA