The shoulder is the most versatile joint in the human body. It can rise, rotate, twist and sway in almost any direction. However, this wide range of motion causes a lot of wear and tear, resulting in injuries and pain. While many parts of the body are prone to frequent trauma, those that affect the shoulder are perhaps the most difficult to manage. This is especially true if you exercise or exercise on a regular basis. However, you can stay on the move despite the injury, as long as you pay attention, be smart, and stay in touch with your doctor.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Exercising with a Shoulder Injury
Step 1. Do side lifts in front of the neck
This type of exercise can generally be done even in the presence of the worst trauma to the shoulders.
- To reduce shoulder strain and irritation, bring your weight in front of your neck.
- Begin the exercise with two dumbbells of appropriate weight, one in each hand. Bend your knees slightly, keep your back straight and pull your chest out a little, leaving your arms at your sides.
- Slowly raise both arms to the side in a controlled motion - palms should be facing the ground. When the limbs are parallel to the ground, slowly lower them to the starting position.
Step 2. Run the flys
This type of exercise focuses on the pectoral muscles and uses those of the shoulders only in a secondary way and as a support.
- Lie on a bench holding a dumbbell of appropriate weight in each hand. Your feet should stay snug on the floor to help you maintain balance.
- The starting position has your arms stretched out in front of you and up. The palms of the hands should be facing each other.
- Slowly lower your arms away from your body. Keep your elbows slightly bent as you descend and stop when your arms are almost parallel to the floor.
- To make sure you don't hurt yourself with this particular exercise, keep your arms in front of your shoulders as you lower the dumbbells; also, do not extend the limbs below the level of the torso.
- Slowly bring your arms back up to the starting position. Repeat the movement as many times as you can without feeling pain.
Step 3. Do the front lifts
This movement involves both the front and back of the deltoid and can be done with some of the worst shoulder injuries. Hold a barbell disc instead of two individual dumbbells to avoid further trauma.
- Bend your knees slightly, straighten your back and push your chest out a little while keeping your arms at your sides. Grab the weighted barbell disc using both hands.
- Slowly raise your arms in front of you, respecting a controlled movement. The disc should remain straight.
- When the upper limbs are parallel to the floor, start lowering them again until they are in the starting position. Do as many repetitions as you are able to do without pain.
Step 4. Test the cable crossover
This exercise primarily aims to strengthen the pectoral muscles, while the shoulders help stabilize the body. Since the shoulder muscle group is not significantly involved, the movement should not cause damage.
- The exercise is performed on the machine with cables. Choose weights that are appropriate for your health condition.
- Stand upright with your arms relaxed in front of your pelvis. Close your fists while keeping your palms facing forward.
- Slowly raise both arms to your sides holding a cable in each hand, then bring them over your head, as if you were doing jumping jacks, until you cross them. Return the limbs to the starting position, performing a slow and controlled movement.
- It's worth remembering that cable crossovers may not be safe if your specific shoulder injury is aggravated by lifting your arms over your head.
Step 5. Include partial chest pulls in your schedule
This exercise allows you to develop the lateral and posterior bands of the deltoids and should not cause too much pain in the shoulder.
- Stand upright with your legs hip-width apart. Hold appropriately weight dumbbells in each hand, making sure your palms are facing your body.
- Slowly bring your hands up to the center of the chest or just below the level of the nipples. As you raise your arms, bend your elbows outward. Do not finish the movement by bringing your hands up to your chin, as this could worsen the condition of the shoulder.
- Slowly lower your arms to the starting position. Repeat the exercise as many times according to your abilities and without feeling pain.
Step 6. Add deadlifts to the chest
This exercise focuses on strengthening the lateral fascia of the back muscles. Those of the shoulders are stimulated in a secondary way and only need to provide support.
- Grab two appropriately weighted dumbbells, one in each hand. Keep your arms at your sides with your palms facing your body.
- Bend forward at waist level until your torso is almost parallel to the ground. Remember to keep your back stiff and straight, letting your upper limbs hang loosely in front of you.
- Slowly pull the arms towards the body until the shoulders are parallel to the floor and bend the elbows so that the limbs stay close to the sides of the body.
- Slowly bring the dumbbells back down to resume the starting position; do as many repetitions as you are able to do without pain.
Step 7. Continue your workout with a session of cardio and lower body exercises
The fact that a shoulder is injured does not mean that you have to be totally inactive. As long as cardiovascular and leg exercises don't cause pain, you can safely do them.
- Most healthcare professionals recommend getting 2.5 hours a week of moderate cardio activity.
- Focus on those movements that don't involve the shoulders. You shouldn't have any problems with walking, slow jogging, using the normal or recumbent bike (without having to lean forward with your hands) and the stairmaster. However, if cardiovascular training causes you shoulder pain, stop it.
- Many lower body exercises do not involve the shoulders or any upper body. Lunges, squats, or leg raises should be safe; however, stop if you experience pain in the injured area.
Part 2 of 2: Training the Safe Way
Step 1. Talk to your doctor
Regardless of whether you've suffered an injury, experience recurring pain, or are resuming training after trauma, it's always important to have a preliminary conversation with your doctor.
- Even if the injury was not serious or complex, you always need a doctor's approval before starting any physical activity again. This way, you can know whether exercise is safe or not for your particular situation.
- Ask the doctor how long you can train, how often and when you should fully recover.
- Also, keep him informed of the condition of the injured area. Your doctor will probably want to know if everything is okay, if you are able to exercise without problems, if you are having difficulty, or if the pain is increasing.
- Always stop exercising if the pain comes back or gets worse. Call your doctor immediately, as imaging tests or a therapist (chiropractor or physiotherapist) may be required.
Step 2. Provide an adequate number of rest days
It is important to keep regular rest and recovery days when performing any type of training routine, even if you are not injured. It is even more important when there is musculoskeletal trauma.
- When you are allowed to resume business, it is important to proceed slowly and gradually. You will need to schedule regular rest days as you gradually return to your normal routine.
- The shoulder joint is made up of numerous ligaments, tendons, and muscles. When she suffers an injury and is less active, she can cause pain when resuming training.
- Pain is usually considered a normal symptom following trauma. However, when you feel discomfort, you need to have at least 24-48 hours of rest between each exercise session.
- You need to recover and rest to allow the muscle to heal and come back strong again.
Step 3. Take extra precautions
When resuming your normal training schedule, you need to be especially careful with your shoulder. This way you avoid further injuries to the same joint.
- Apply ice. If you feel a little sore or just want to feel more confident, you can place the ice pack on your shoulder after the exercise is complete to avoid swelling and inflammation.
- Also use compression shirts or headbands. This remedy, just like ice, keeps swelling, inflammation of the shoulder under control and stabilizes it.
- Maintain the correct posture. This detail is always important for any type of exercise, but it is crucial when you are recovering from an injury. If you take the wrong position, you risk getting hurt again or making your current situation worse.
Step 4. Avoid exercises that increase or aggravate pain
Do not perform or stop any movement that causes other shoulder pain, otherwise you can cause further damage.
There are some specific exercises that should not be performed while recovering from shoulder trauma, including: overhead shoulder presses, incline bench presses, full or above shoulder deadlifts to the chest, side lifts. with dumbbells and side pulls behind the neck
Advice
- After an injury, always ask your doctor for advice before resuming your normal exercise routine.
- If you experience pain in the area affected by the injury, stop exercising and call your doctor immediately.
- Remember that most injuries take a long time to heal. Be patient and train slowly to regain strength again.
