We carry a lot of tension around our neck and shoulder area, a lot more than we realize. We’ve become accustomed to such a busy lifestyle that we have forgotten what it’s like to stop and take a minute to look after ourselves.
Shoulder pain is one of the most common ailments among today’s busy adults. While the pain is uncomfortable to deal with, it doesn’t take long to bring some relief to your shoulder joints either with a few simple exercises. Often, we feel pain because our muscles have tensed up from all the stress we’ve subconsciously been carrying around. Hunching over the computer several hours of the workday doesn’t help either.
The best way to relieve shoulder pain is to seek ongoing physiotherapy treatments. In addition, you may also be interested in including a few gentle exercises in your everyday routine. Here are some excellent ways to ease the shoulder pain you experience:
Get Your Blood Flow Going
Before you begin these exercises, try to squeeze in a quick two-minute warm-up. It gets the blood circulation moving through your neck and shoulder area. For each of these shoulder exercises, you’ll want to hold the pose for at least 30-seconds before you switch sides. Take a 10-second break between each shoulder exercise if necessary. Then, jump right back in whenever you’re ready.
All the exercises below should take no more than ten minutes to complete, depending on how long you should each stretch for. Ten minutes is something you can easily slot into your day, even if you have a very busy routine. Let’s get right to work.
Shoulder Rolls To Warm Up Your Shoulders
Shoulder rolls are great because they are not specifically a warm-up move alone. This is a move meant to help give your blood circulation a boost and you can do it anytime your shoulders are feeling extra tight or tense.
Start by rolling your shoulders forward for 30-seconds. Then, reverse the direction of that motion for another 30-seconds. You can extend this exercise longer if you want to.
The Cross-Arm Stretch
This stretch is going to lengthen your shoulder muscles and bring some relief if you’re feeling particularly tight around the middle part of your shoulders. Bring one arm across the front of your chest while keeping the arm straight. You can have your elbows at a slight bend if it feels better for you.
Next, the palm of the arm that is straight should hold the back of your opposite shoulder. For example, if your left arm is the straight one, the palm of the left arm should be flat against the shoulder blade of your right shoulder. The right arm will gently push the elbow of your left arm back towards you so that you feel a nice stretch along the entire upper left arm. Repeat the movement on the other side.
You don’t have to bend your arms and touch your shoulder blades if you don’t want to with this move. It is okay to keep your arm straight and stretch it out that way too, if it feels better for you.
The Tricep Stretch
Take your left arm and stretch it behind you. This time the palm of your left hand should be touching the middle of your back, right between the shoulder blades. Your elbows should be right by the side of your head.
With your right hand, gently push your left elbow toward the back, stretching the entire tricep area as you do. Hold for 30-seconds or longer if you would like before you switch positions.
The Chest Stretch
Your chest and pectoral muscles are connected to your shoulders. When you’re feeling tight, stretching out this area can help to bring some relief. You’re going to begin by placing both hands behind you (they should be close to your lower back or mid-back) and then interlace your fingers.
With your hands now clasped behind you, you are going to push downward and away. As you do this, you will push your chest forward.
Upper Trapezius Muscle Stretch
The upper trapezius muscle is a large muscle that runs through your neck and shoulder area. If you’re feeling any soreness or pain, it is important to get this stretch in.
Place your left hand by your side with your palm flat against the chair or floor. With your right hand, pull your head and till it toward the right. In this position, your entire shoulder and neck on the left side are getting a good stretch through those muscles.
10-minutes a day is all it takes to help bring some relief to those aching shoulder muscles of yours. If you don’t have time to do the full 10-minutes in one go, break it down into smaller exercises that you squeeze in periodically during the day whenever you need some relief.
