Shoulder pain with overhead activity can really put a damper on things like crushing your upper body workout at the gym, throwing ball with the kiddo, or even putting dishes away in the cupboard. 

When this happens, it is likely that something in your shoulder is getting pinched and irritated. This is typically the rotator cuff tendons but it can also involve bursa sac which cushion the joint, or the labrum which lines the joint socket.

These symptoms can be caused from a variety of things to include: sudden increase in overhead movements, sleeping in a weird position, decreased mobility at the shoulder capsule, long term dysfunction of shoulder blades, or weakness or dysfunction of shoulder stabilizers.

This is one of the most common upper body conditions that I treat daily in the clinic, and in this article I want to share with you what patients have often done incorrectly to manage these symptoms on their own and then my general framework getting things to calm down so the shoulder can get to moving and feeling better

With overhead shoulder pain- most people tend to go either one end of the spectrum or the other with self-management. They either stop moving the shoulder all together for fear of making things worse, or they crank their shoulder into non-stop overhead stretches in attempt to work through the situation. 

Unfortunately, neither of these is an effective solution because you are either avoiding movement that should nourish and heal the joint or you are focusing on irritating movement that is continuing to cause pain and inflammation. 

Instead, what we want to do is three-fold:

1. Find painfree shoulder movement focusing on rotation. As the shoulder joint rotates, the ball moves around in the socket which brings blood flow into the joint, helps move out waste product, stimulates the receptors deep in the joint, and then keeps the joint cartilage and joint capsule healthy. 

There are several positions that this rotation can be achieved but once we find a position that is painfree, this should be done frequently throughout the day. 

2. We also want to get the shoulder blades moving. The shoulder blades are makes up the socket portion of the joint. When you focus on rotation you are moving the ball, and now we also want to move the socket. This is done for similar reasons of increased blood flow etc... but we also want to improve control over the shoulder blades. 

Often what happens in shoulder dysfunction is the joint loses good alignment into the overhead position because the shoulder blades aren't doing their job properly. 

The shoulder blades should move in all directions. Up, down, back, forward- and we want to train them all. We want to immediately begin learning to move the shoulder blades in all directions and then in a variety of positions. 

3. Train around the shoulder pain- I don't want you to avoid upper body workouts. Instead we want to ensure that the shoulder stabilizers to include the rotator cuff and scapular muscles are strong and conditioned. We just need to avoid moving overhead until symptoms calm down. A well rounded shoulder rehab program should address all the shoulder stabilizers even during the painful phase. As symptoms improve, we will just be able to progress to more dynamic and challenging positions. 

Dealing with nagging shoulder issues and want a comprehensive program that will help you restore movement, address imbalances and movement compensations, and increase shoulder strength and stability? Make sure to check out my Performance Shoulder Program. 

This 4-Phase Program is easy to follow, giving you clear guidance, and the ability to progress at your own pace. 

We will start by restoring movement to the shoulder joint, shoulder blades, and ribcage. As the program progresses you will progressively load all your shoulder stabilizers in a variety of positions. Upon completion, you should be able to transition back to unrestricted upper body activity with increased shoulder strength, stability, and mobility. 

Click here to learn more

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Yours in health, 

-Jamie