5 Best Exercises to Reduce Shoulder Pain

Exercise is often a good antidote to shoulder pain. But what exercise should you do? Certain sports, such as golf or racquet sports, are usually contraindicated with shoulder pain. Here are the five best types of exercise you can try to relieve pain and improve mobility in the shoulder joint. And if they don’t work, we have another option for you — one you may not have ever heard about.

Swimming is a fantastic all-around exercise that can strengthen and tone your entire body and improve cardiovascular conditioning without placing undue stress on your joints. It can also help improve range of motion in the shoulder joint, provided you don’t overdo it. Most orthopedic specialists and physical therapists recommend swimming for shoulder pain, unless your pain was caused by swimming in the first place.

Use these tips to get the most from your swimming sessions:

• Warm up and cool down with some gentle shoulder stretches before and after your workout.

• Build up to more intense workouts gradually, rather than doing too much too soon.

• If you need to stop exercising your upper body because you’ve reached your limits, grab a kickboard and work your legs to get a full cardio workout.

• Vary your strokes over your laps and avoid strokes that cause any pain or predispose you to shoulder injury (e.g., the butterfly).

• Work with a physical therapist or trainer to make sure you’re using proper form in the pool.

You’ve probably seen Nordic walkers and wondered what they were doing. This type of walking, common in outdoorsy Nordic countries, uses poles similar to ski poles, which you swing while you walk. Nordic walking is popular with people who have shoulder pain because you can adjust your swing to prevent discomfort, and this exercise can actually build more strength and stability in the joint. Also, it’s much more pleasant to walk outdoors than to do similar exercises on a machine at the gym.

Nordic walking poles are highly affordable and come with tips for use on different kinds of walking surfaces. Many are telescoping for easy portability. Make sure you follow the instructions that come with your poles to set them at the proper height for your body. You can easily learn Nordic walking by watching online videos or joining a Nordic walking group. They’ll show you how to do some warmup stretches with your poles, too.

Pilates was developed 100 years ago by physical trainer Joseph Pilates to help with the rehabilitation of physical injuries. The earliest users were soldiers returning from war and professional dancers. While Pilates may seem like a relatively new trend today, it never really went out of style in the dance world, and many ballet dancers swear by it for rehab and conditioning.

You can do Pilates exercises at home on a mat using a DVD or streaming program, or you can go to a Pilates studio, where they also have exercise machines called Reformers. The Reformer offers adjustable resistance while exercising and helps control the path of your movement for proper alignment. Either way, it’s best to take a few private instructional sessions or group classes first before trying Pilates on your own. Then, with only a short workout every day, you can keep your body toned and increase the strength and range of motion in your shoulder.

Yoga has been known for centuries to keep joints limber and strong, although it’s only become popular in the West around the 1970s. There are many different types of yoga, so you want to shop around and find a style that’s right for you and not too challenging for your level of fitness and degree of shoulder pain. For example, styles that incorporate a series of downward dog positions and sun salutations are great for building shoulder strength, but they may be too much if you already have shoulder pain.

Like with Pilates, you probably want to attend some instructional courses before practicing at home. Let your teacher know if you have any limitations to your movement before you start. The beauty of yoga is that even the smallest towns usually have at least one yoga studio, and once you can exercise on your own, you can do yoga anytime you like. It’s also a type of exercise that’s easy to keep up with when traveling.

On days when you don’t have time for a more comprehensive workout, it’s helpful to know some basic stretches that you can do to keep your shoulder loose. You can do these before and after other exercises or when you feel your shoulder tightening up, such as after sitting in front of the computer at work or after a long drive.

A physical trainer can put together a personalized plan for stretching, but the exercises below will get you started.

Seated Twist

1. Sit in a chair with your knees directly above your ankles.

2. Twist to the right, bringing your left hand to your right thigh (the other hand can hold the chair seat at the back).

3. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat with the other side.

4. Do each side 3-5 times.

Doorway Shoulder Stretch

1. Stand parallel to the opening of a doorway with your lower arm against the door jamb.

2. Keep your upper arm at a 90-degree position from your body, perpendicular to the door jamb.

3. Twist slightly away from your raised arm, opening your body, while you engage your core and step forward with the inside leg.

4. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat with the other side.

5. Do several times per side.

Child’s Pose

1. Kneel on a carpeted floor or exercise mat with your feet tucked underneath you, pointing behind you.

2. Reach your arms forward, above your head, with palms down on the floor.

3. Face the floor and let your forehead, chest, and neck relax toward the ground.

4. Hold this position for 1-5 minutes until you feel a deep stretch in the shoulders.

5. Use whatever knee pads or pillows you need for comfort.

What should you do if the exercise suggestions above don’t relieve your pain or if you’re in too much discomfort to try them? While your regular doctor may suggest taking medications for pain or even surgery, there is a better way — one that addresses the cause of your shoulder pain rather than simply masking it. It’s also one that is less risky than surgery or drug side effects.

At Core Medical & Wellness, we offer a range of non-surgical orthopedic options. We treat sports injuries, arthritis, and other conditions that cause shoulder pain with innovative techniques, including nerve blocks, injections, and regenerative medicine methods.

You may not have heard about regenerative medicine, as it’s so new. This type of treatment uses your body’s natural healing processes to reduce pain and restructure joints. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or bone marrow concentrate (BMC) derived from your own blood are injected into the shoulder. The cells speed the healing and growth of new tissue to eliminate pain and restore joint mobility. These cells also keep renewing themselves, so the healing process carries on for months or years at a time, without you needing to schedule constant appointments.

If you want to see if non-surgical orthopedics and regenerative medicine are right for your shoulder pain, call Core Medical & Wellness today at 888-521-0688, or reach out online to let us know how we can help. At your initial appointment, we’ll review your medical history, conduct a physical exam, and take any images necessary for a diagnosis. From there, we’ll formulate a treatment plan together.

Don’t live with shoulder pain or resort to treatments that put your health at risk without ever addressing the cause of your pain. Get in touch today.