Are you one of the most passionate rugby players in London?
Do you consider basketball, tennis, squash your favorite sports?
Are you in love with the pool and would like to compete in swimming?
If your answer is yes, you might be more at risk for shoulder pain because of the repetitive overhead movement associated with these sports and more.
Statistic reports reveal that approximately 61.5 percent of people in London participated in sporting activities with at least moderate intensity for more than 150 minutes a week. [1]
And believe it or not…
Many of these active people participate in sports that involve overhead activities.
For instance…
- Did you know that in 2021 approximately 229 thousand adults in England, including London play cricket on a monthly basis? [2]
- And according to London and worldwide statistics, all athletes involved in overhead sports complain of shoulder pain at some point of their careers? [3]
The reason is: overhead activities place more strain and load on the shoulder structures. [3]
So, if you are experiencing pain when you raise your arms above your head this article is for you.
I am Jazz Alessi and in this article I’ll discuss many types of evidence based shoulder rehabilitation exercises that are proven to eliminate your shoulder pain and enhance your performance.
How Do You Rehabilitate Your Shoulder?
The shoulder is one of the most important joints in your body.
Research shows that the shoulder joint allows for a huge degree of mobility in different directions. [4]
For this reason, if you have shoulder pain and you are looking for the best rehab for shoulder programme in London, research shows that you must consider :
– The origin of pain (i.e., bones, muscles, capsule…etc.)
– Nature and severity of pain (i.e., mild, moderate, severe)
– Causes of pain (i.e., overuse, inflammation, acute injury…etc.) [5]
All these points help you find the right rehab for shoulder programme for your problem and avoid recurrence of your injury.
If you have a shoulder diagnosis already contact Jazz Alessi to find the best plan to rehab and get rid of your shoulder pain now.
BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION NOW!
Shoulder Rehabilitation Customised Exercises for Overhead Athletes
The shoulder joint is formed by the articulation of the humerus (the arm bone) and the scapula (shoulder blade).
Research shows that these two bones poorly fit into each other; this is why the joint is supported by several structures like:
– Muscles
– Ligaments
– Capsule [5]
If these supportive tissues undergo imbalance, become tight on one side, weak or loose on the other, shoulder joint pain occurs.
For instance, there might be too much pull from the deltoid muscle (the rounded muscle on the tip of your shoulder), faced by weak pull from the rotator cuff muscles, which are considered the stabilisers of your shoulder. [6]
So, if you are training for an overhead sport, you need to make sure these muscles are not overlooked and are equally included in your strengthening plan.
In other words, don’t fall for the same mistake many athletes make; they focus on the more prominent and well-known muscle groups like the deltoid, triceps, and traps and pay less attention to the rotator cuff muscles. [6]
In this case, many problems may arise; including impingement of the rotator cuff tendon which is the main cause of overhead shoulder pain. [5]
Shoulder Rehab: Where to Start?
Did you know that in London, 1 in every 5 Londoners is a gym member, [7] but you end up seeing most of the gym members quitting because they do not see the results they wish as fast as they expect.
The reason behind this is they don’t follow the right customised rehab programme for their particular case.
There are several approaches rehab personal trainers in London follow when it comes to shoulder rehabilitation.
But no matter what your problem is, first, you must start by detecting the problem and then target stretching the shortened muscles to regain flexibility in the shoulder region.
Here is a very simple idea to find out if your shoulder muscles and capsule are short and tight:
– Sit tall and place your arm across your chest. Then, apply pull your arm towards the chest. I If you feel tension at the back of your shoulder, that means you have tight capsule.
To stretch your capsule, hold this position for 30 seconds.
You can also do the same stretch from a side lying or a modified sleeper position.
But if you already have a shoulder injury diagnosis.
Speak to Jazz Alessi now.
He will carefully assess and create the right strengthening and stretching shoulder rehabilitation exercises you need.
BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION!Strengthening Vs. Stretching
Stretching does not substitute for a proper programme to strengthen the weak muscles and regain muscle balance. [8]
Thus, you need to focus on strengthening the stabiliser muscles of your shoulder in order to keep your bones properly aligned and maintain proper movement of your arm bone (Humerus) against the shoulder blade (Scapula).
Harmony between these two bones is called the scapula-humeral rhythm.
This word stands for the amount of motion that happens in your scapula in relation to the amount of motion that happens in your arm. [9]
If the scapulohumeral movement is not balanced, the rotator cuff tendons are pinched between the arm bone and the tip of your shoulder blade leading to the pain you experience when elevating your arm above your head. [9]
Exercises to develop and Improve muscle performance and functional Control:
Shoulder Resisted External Rotation
Using a lightweight dumbbell or a resistance band, from a side lying position, bend your elbow to 90°.
Start with your forearm rested on your abdomen while holding the weight, lift off the weight as you rotate your shoulder, then slowly go back to the starting position.
You can also do the same exercise with an elastic band; this is known as Sidelying/Banded Shoulder External Rotation.
If you decide on doing this exercise or the ER Banded walkouts, make sure you are not extending your elbow, if you notice your elbow extending, use a lighter weight to start with. [10]
Shoulder Internal Rotation
Stand tall against a door, tie your resistance band to the door knob.
Face the door sideways and hold the resistance band while bending the elbow to 90° then pull the resistance band inward towards your belly. [10]
Rowing
You might wonder, how does this back exercise help improve shoulder pain?
In fact, although this exercise targets your back muscles, it helps position your scapula in the proper alignment with the arm bone and improve the scapulohumeral rhythm.
Simply start by sitting tall with your legs extended in front of you then pull the resistance band towards you.
You can vary the grip width to focus on different muscles.
As you advance you can either use a higher resistance elastic band or the cable machine at the gym. [10]
The role of nutrition and recovery in shoulder rehabilitation for overhead athletes:
According to statistics, GPs in London and UK refer more than 7 out of 10 patients with rotator cuff injuries to rehabilitation. [11]
Training isn’t everything when it comes to shoulder rehabilitation proper nutrition is just as important to recover. [12]
You need a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and including adequate intake of protein of anti-inflammatory origins preferably plant based.
Protein plays the most important role in the recovery of muscles.
As you exercise, microtears occur in the muscles and it’s a normal part of the muscle recovery strategy and process. [12]
As muscles recover from these microtears, they become stronger as they increase the cross-sectional area of the muscle fibres.
This is where anti-inflammatory high-quality plant based protein comes into play. [12]
It acts as the building unit of the muscle in the recovery process when you provide your body with effective recovery strategy such as rest, sleep, stress management, foam rolling, stretching.
If you would like to include more nutritious protein sources into your diet, you can consider:
• Tofu
• Chickpeas
• Green peas
• Lentils
• Oats and oatmeal
• Hemp seeds [13]
Would you like to recover faster and to perform better in your training by using the right nutrition programme for your injury recovery or athletic performance goals?
Professional help comes from Jazz Alessi, London’s number one expert Harley Street nutrition specialist.
REQUEST A FREE CONSULTATION NOW!Allow yourself Some Recovery Time
Once customised nutrition and shoulder rehabilitation exercises are taken care of, you need to rest and let your body recover.
Here are some ideas to boost tissue recovery:
– Don’t carry heavy weights,
– Stretch regularly and gently,
– Do some meditating and relaxing activities.
– Get sufficient night sleep
– Drink enough water [14]
Jazz’s Laser Sharp Customised Shoulder Rehab Programme That’s Effective And Made Just For You
Although shoulder pain can be similar in many athletes, the cause of pain might be different, even when two athletes are involved in the same sport.
It is true that the same sport includes doing the very same movements, but in fact, because our bodies are different in many ways, the way each body responds to overuse is different from one another.
Let’s put it differently…
i.e.
You may have two swimmers complaining of shoulder pain, but one of them may be diagnosed with supra spinatus tendinitis (inflammation of the supra spinatus muscle).
And the other may be diagnosed with shoulder laxity or labral tear.
These two conditions are completely different and require different rehab for shoulder programmes.
Thus, only completing a comprehensive and correct assessment will give you a clear understanding of what your current problem is, and have a program tailored to your own problem, addressing:
– Your shoulder mobility,
– Flexibility
– Strength of your shoulder muscles
– Eliminate your shoulder instability
Individualised programmes are Jazz Alessi’s priority.
Because after training top athletes for over 15 years Jazz knows that a laser-sharp customised shoulder programme can help you achieve your goals faster, and safer.
Who is Jazz Alessi?
Jazz is London’s best rehab personal trainer based in London, sports nutritionist, and rehab for shoulder specialist.
He is best known for creating a laser-sharp customised shoulder rehabilitation programmes based on each client’s needs and health goals.
If you are an athlete complaining of shoulder pain.
Jazz Alessi will professionally help you using the best nutrition and customised exercise plans for you.
Jazz will help you maximise your shoulder injury rehabilitation and return to your sport without affecting your performance.
Keen to get started?
Contact Jazz now !Reference:
1- Statista – Share of people who participated in sporting activities for more than 150 minutes a week in England in 2021, by region
https://www.statista.com/statistics/934573/share-of-sporting-activities-participants-by-region-england/
2- Statista — Number of people participating in cricket in England from 2016 to 2021 https://www.statista.com/statistics/899199/cricket-participation-uk/
3- Kevin E. Wilk, PT, DPT1, Padraic Obma, MD2, Charles D. Simpson II, DPT3, E. Lyle Cain, MD4, Jeffrey Dugas, MD4, James R. Andrews, MD5 – ournal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy Published OnlineFebruary 1, 2009Volume39Issue2Pages38-54 https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2009.2929
4- Lin DJ, Wong TT, Kazam JK. Shoulder Injuries in the Overhead-Throwing Athlete: Epidemiology, Mechanisms of Injury, and Imaging Findings. Radiology. 2018 Feb;286(2):370-387. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2017170481. PMID: 29356641.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29356641/
5- Zaremski, Jason L. MD, FACSM; Wasser, Joseph G. BS; Vincent, Heather K. PhD, FACSM. Mechanisms and Treatments for Shoulder Injuries in Overhead Throwing Athletes. Current Sports Medicine Reports 16(3):p 179-188, 5/6 2017. | DOI: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000361
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2017/05000/mechanisms_and_treatments_for_shoulder_injuries_in.17.aspx
6- Ann M. CoolsFredrik R. JohanssonDorien BormsAnnelies Maenhout –– Prevention of shoulder injuries in overhead athletes: a science-based approach –– Review Article • Braz. J. Phys. Ther. 19 (5) • Sep-Oct 2015 • https://doi.org/10.1590/bjpt-rbf.2014.0109
7- Puregym London Statistics
https://www.puregym.com/blog/uk-fitness-report-gym-statistics/#current-health
8- American Academy of orthopedic surgeons – Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Conditioning Program
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/globalassets/pdfs/2017-rehab_shoulder.pdf
9- Physiopedia –– Scapulohumeral Rhythm
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Scapulohumeral_Rhythm
10- Kisner, C et all, 2018: Therapeutic exercise : foundations and techniques, seventh edition, Philadelphia : F.A. Davis Company.
11- Artus M, van der Windt DA, Afolabi EK, et alManagement of shoulder pain by UK general practitioners (GPs): a national surveyBMJ Open 2017;7:e015711. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015711
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/6/e015711
12- Papadopoulou, Sousana. (2020). Rehabilitation Nutrition for Injury Recovery of Athletes: The Role of Macronutrient Intake. Nutrients. 12. 2449. 10.3390/nu12082449. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343661443_Rehabilitation_Nutrition_for_Injury_Recovery _of_Athletes_The_Role_of_Macronutrient_Intake
13- Kumar, Manoj & Tomar, Maharishi & Punia Bangar, Sneh & Dhakane-Lad, Jyoti & Dhumal, Sangram & Changan, Sushil & Marisennayya, Senapathy & Berwal, Mukesh & Sampathrajan, Vellaikumar & Sayed, Ali A. S. & Chandran, Deepak & Pandiselvam, Ravi & Rais, Nadeem & Mahato, Dipendra & Udikeri, Prof. Shashikant & Satankar, Varsha & Anitha, T. & Reetu, Dr & Radha, Radha & Kennedy, John. (2021). Plant based-proteins and their multifaceted industrial applications. Lebensmittel-Wissenschaft und-Technologie. 154. 112620. 10.1016/j.lwt.2021.112620.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355176153_Plant_based-proteins_and_their_multifaceted_industrial_applications
14- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341554107_Muscle_Recovery_After_Exercise_Training_and_Competition_Physiological _Indicators _and_Non-invasive_Monitoring_Techniques https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355176153_Plant_based-proteins_and_their_multifaceted_industrial_applications
