Biokineticist Nicci Robson explains the complex nature of our shoulders.
Did you know?
· The shoulder joint is one of the most movable joints in the human body.
· The shoulder is not only one of the most injured joints in the human body but most shoulder injuries come from repetitive overhead movements.[1]
The shoulder joint is made up of three bones and is connected by many muscles, tendons and ligaments and is used in almost every move we perform on a daily basis. These all join together, along with many other structures, to create smooth efficient movement and we use it to its full advantage until something happens to affect its efficiency.
So what do we do?
Shoulder injuries can be classified as:
Acute: Injuries generally from some kind of contact sport, where there is a high risk of falling or blow to the shoulder.
Overuse: Injuries that occur due to a repetitive movement that builds up over time.[2]
One very common injury, often discussed is the...
The Rotator cuff
We’ve all heard this fancy name. But what is it? Or what are they?
In short the rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles which are vital for stability and function.
The Rotator cuff keeps the head of the humerus, into the shoulder socket and allows us to perform various movements at a variety of different angles.
Quite often our bigger, more global muscles will take over. It is only when we have an injury, or pain within the shoulder joint that we start realise how much our body compensates to alleviate the injury.
Tennis players, for example, will continually move their shoulder joint into external rotation.
Weakness is often determined when we put our shoulder or any joint for that matter into a repetitive position, day after day. This can lead to an overuse injury and ultimately pain.
Without sufficient strength in the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint, compensatory muscles will start to kick in. This can consequently lead to over-activation of the wrong muscles and therefore create a muscle imbalance.
Remedial methods
With the help of a Biokineticist or Physiotherapist, analysis and correct muscle activation into the correct muscle groups can be attained. It is of vital importance to treat not only the symptom, but also to determine the biomechanical cause of a shoulder specific injury.
This is done through a thorough, postural analysis, along with a variety of different muscle-specific strength tests. This will help us determine which muscles are working harder than others.
An individualised strength training programme can then be designed and implemented in order to begin the process of building strength in and around the shoulder joint.
We’ve all heard the saying, ‘Prevention is better than cure’. It is always advisable to be guided in the correct direction and to rather treat a shoulder niggle now, before it gets worse.
If you’re struggling with an injury, I give you these inspirational words from Olympic Gold medallist and FIFA Women’s World Cup Soccer Champion, Carli Lloyd:
“It is always hard to deal with injuries mentally, but I like to think about it as a new beginning. I can't change what happened, so the focus needs to go toward healing and coming back stronger than before.”
Why not call us today on 0203 893 5100 or book your initial assessment session online.
Nicci Robson is a Biokineticist at Ultra Sports Bank Clinic. Find out more about her here.
References:
[1] How to Prevent Shoulder Injuries, accessed 27 May 2019, https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/how-to-prevent-shoulder-injuries#1 [2] Are you familiar with the most common shoulder injuries?, accessed 27 May 2019, http://fittoplay.org/body-parts/shoulder/are-you-familiar-with-the-most-common-shoulder-injuries/