Shoulder injuries are very common and can affect anyone at any age, but people who engage in physical activities like swimming and tennis, or anything that involves repetitive overhead motions, are perhaps more likely to experience pain, inflammation and tenderness.
Understanding biomechanics and how the different parts of the body are connected to each other is a great way to protect yourself and keep injuries at bay.
If you have been experiencing issues with your shoulders, it could be down to a winged scapular problem, where your shoulder blade doesn’t stay flat against your back when not in motion, instead sticking out rather like a bird’s wing (hence the name).
Typically, scapular winging only takes place when an injury is sustained that causes muscle or nerve damage, but you can also increase your risks by playing sport that puts a lot of stress on your shoulders, having poor posture or wearing a heavy backpack on a regular basis.
If you leave winged scapulars untreated, they can put additional pressure on the shoulder joints and the surrounding supportive tissue, which increases your risk of developing other conditions like frozen shoulder. You could also lose feeling and mobility in your muscles, which can increase the longer the original problem goes untreated.
Your shoulder joint should work together as a single unit, with tension balanced in the muscles that push and pull when your shoulder and arm move. When this balance is disrupted, your muscles will find it harder to keep the shoulder blade flat against your back and ribcage… but the good news is that physiotherapy can really help you regain control.
When you come to see us here at Clear Physio, we’ll carry out a full physical assessment and give you specific exercises and stretches to help improve how your body moves, with the aim being to strengthen your shoulder muscles and improve your range of motion and flexibility. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the team today.
