Shoulder Performance & Rehab

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What’s difference between a sore shoulder and an injured shoulder?

• soreness goes away - the pain related to a shoulder injury lingers
• soreness is typically related to the shoulder muscles - a shoulder injury usually impacts the tendons. ligaments or cartilage of the joint

What are some of the things to look for?

• shoulder pain while sleeping - difficulty sleeping
• shoulder weakness
• limited shoulder strength and / or mobility
• inability to perform normal movements
• difficulty reaching overhead
• unusual shoulder pain

Don’t live with constant shoulder pain - see your doctor - get an MRI

Shoulder surgery techniques have come a long way in the past twenty years.  Don’t live with shoulder pain - see your doctor and learn what options you have.

How to Protect your Rotator Cuff

Dave Turpin of Desk Jockey Fitness wrote a very practical article describing what you can do to protect your rotator cuff.  The problems he cites are:

• Muscle imbalances due to excessive use of the lateral raise
• Too much bench pressing or faulty bench pressing technique
• Repetitive stress injuries ( this goes beyond sports / workout - and may include job related functions)
• Wide grip chins and lat pulldowns - I hurt my shoulder doing weighted wide grip chins about three years ago - now I can barely do five wide chins with just my body weight and I always feel very loose in my injured shoulder when doing this exercise.

Dave then lists four exercises that you can do to protect yourself from future rotator cuff injury - Visit his website to find out what they are and how you can be prepared.

Great Shoulder Exercise You can do at Home

Shoulder exercises don’t always have to involve heavy weights, exercise tubing or going to the gym.  Here is a great shoulder development exercise that not only strengthens the entire shoulder complex, but also develops your core muscles.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Stastics Don’t Lie

We don’t think it will happen to us - but it’s got to happen to someone - that’s just the way it is - statistics don’t lie.

A study led by Dr. Steven B. Cohen, assistant team physician for the Philadelphia Phillies and reported on the website Science Daily, revealed the following:

• 45% of baseball players who have shoulder or elbow surgery were able to return to their previous level or higher
• players who had elbow surgery were more likely to reach their previous level of play or higher than players who had shoulder surgery
• for AA, AAA or major league players, only 18% were able to make the comeback

Prevention is the Key to Long-Term Success

The study was also reported on in the Tucson Citizen, where Cohen and co-author of the study, Dr. Gerard Varlotta said, “stretching and strengthening exercises are key for preventing injuries in professional - and recreational - players.”

Take the time to warm-up and cool-down, stretch and strengthen your shoulder.  It could make all the difference for you and your shoulder.

Internal Rotation: The Old Fashioned Approach

Stretching the internal rotation of your shoulder without help can be a problem. Most people suggest using a towel, golf club or some other item to drape over your shoulder and grasp behind your back. Then, you lift gently with one arm while pulling the other arm upwards behind your back. This short video is a good demonstration of the “old” technique:

Internal Rotation: The New Approach = Multiple Stretches + Greater Versatility

After the responses that we received from sports medicine professionals during the American College of Sports Medicine conference and athletic trainers during the National Athletic Trainers Association annual convention, Scott and I realized that our current video doesn’t showcase the all the benefits of the Rotater. Specifically, you can:

• stretch internal rotation in many positions
• duplicate internal rotation exercises that normally require assistance
• control the degree of each stretch
• achieve a “true” passive stretch (your injured arm does not grasp anything, avoiding the introduction of unnecessary resistance)

Here is our newest video demonstrating the variety of ways the Rotater can be used to stretch internal rotation.

Which one would you prefer - the “old” towel or the new Rotater?

Shoulder Exercise for Baseball Players (or any Throwing Athlete)

I found this video of a shoulder exercise that I have never seen before at BaseballStrengthBlog.com. (It looks like their mother site, BaseballStrength.com, is undergoing some changes and you must now register to assess their resources – but that seems like a small price to pay for what appears to be a very informative web site.)

This exercise is unconventional - but looks promising. According to Coach Dan, this exercise is helpful for:

• Shoulder Stabilization
• Shoulder Safety
• Explosive Shoulder Power

He uses a 2 kg (a little less than 1 lb. 4.4 lbs - thanks Coach Dan) ball about the size of a basketball – I’m not sure where you’d find the ball that he’s using in the video, but I’m pretty sure a basketball would work just fine.

Be sure to pay attention to what he says in the video – this exercise is not a finger-tip dribbling movement, but an explosive arm movement that is generated by the shoulder.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

New Procedure to Repair an AC Separation

A separated shoulder is usually the result of:

• a fall onto an outstretched hand (my separated shoulder occurred as the result of a fall while skiing)
• a direct impact to the shoulder (often seen in football, rugby, lacrosse, or any other contact sport / activity)

(photo used courtesy of Neil Rickards)

Dr. William Pennington has been one of the developers of a new arthroscopic technique which results in less pain and less scarring. This procedure is specially designed to treat shoulder separations that are at least three months old.

Shoulder Separations are Distinguished by Severity of the Injury

The following data is used courtesy of Wikipedia – Shoulder Separation

Type I

A Type I AC separation involves trauma to the ligaments that form the joint, but no severe tearing or fracture. It is commonly referred to as a sprain. Most doctors treat this type of dislocation with anti-inflammatory drugs, pain medication and the placement of the arm in a sling or an immobilizer.

Type II

A Type II AC separation involves complete tearing of the acromioclavicular ligament, as well as a sprain or partial tear of the coracoclavicular ligaments. This often causes a noticeable bump on the shoulder. By pressing on the sternal aspect of the clavicle you force the acromial end down, and by releasing, watch it pop back up (eliciting a piano key sign due to the tearing of the AC ligament)[3]. Severe pain and loss of movement are common. Treatment is typically an arm sling, bedrest, ice and heat therapy, and anti-inflammatory drugs. Most people recover full motion of the shoulder and arm within 6 to 8 weeks, often with the assistance of physical therapy.

Type III

In a Type III AC separation both acromioclavicular and coracoclavicular ligaments are torn. A significant bump is formed by the lateral end of the clavicle. This bump is permanent. The clavicle can be moved in and out of place on the shoulder. It may take 12 weeks to heal, and physical therapy can be beneficial. It may take even longer for the shoulder strength to approach feeling normal. The injured shoulder may not be able to take the abuse that it could previously, but for most purposes it will be quite usable and sufficient. However, there still is controversy as to whether or not surgery may be necessary for optimal shoulder use in sport.

Type IV

This is a type III injury with avulsion of the coracoclavicular ligament from the clavicle, with the distal clavicle displaced posteriorly into or through the trapezius. This injury is generally acknowledged to require surgery.

Type V

This is type III but with exaggeration of the vertical displacement of the clavicle from the scapula. This injury generally requires surgery.

Type VI

This is type III with inferior dislocation of the lateral end of the clavicle below the coracoid. It is extremely rare and generally only involved with motor vehicle collisions. This requires surgery.

A Short Video Explaining Shoulder Separation and Treatments

I had the pleasure of meeting H. Robert Perez earlier this month at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual conference. He happened by our booth as we were demonstrating the Rotater to several conference attendees. I asked Dr. Perez if he’d like to try the Rotater, but he said that he already had one and “loved” it.

Dr. Perez went on the explain that he played Men’s Senior League Baseball and felt that the Rotater would be beneficial to many of the players.

“…Part of a Comprehensive Shoulder Stretching Program”

“As a 20+ year player in The Mens Senior Baseball League and someone with a background in Sports Medicine I can attest to the benefit of using the Rotater in a comprehensive shoulder stretching program.

I use the Rotater after a general warmup which include calistenics and running 1/2 hour before game time. I then follow the recommended stretches outlined in the instructions and finish with general throwing and long toss.

The Rotater has increased my Range of Motion at the shoulder and reduced strain. Our pitchers have tried it and they like the specific stretch it provides at the shoulder girdle. Thanks for sharing the Rotater with our over 40 baseball players”

H. Robert Perez, Ph.D
Human Performance Lab
Adelphi University

(photo courtesy of H. Robert Perez)

(photo courtesy of H. Robert Perez)

(photo courtesy of H. Robert Perez)

(photo courtesy of H. Robert Perez)