Baseball Shoulder Injuries Pt.3

In Part 1 and 2 of this series we examined the supraspinatus and its significance in maintaining a healthy shoulder. Furthermore, we evaluated scapulo-humeral rythym and its adverse affect on shoulder dysfunction.

Let's recap a few very important points from Part 1 and 2 so we understand why these exercises I'm about to teach you work.

1. Don't use heavy loads when you're trying to rehab the shoulder, as it'll probably do more damage. Think NEW school!

2. Poor posture can cause neural inhibition of a muscle like the supraspinatus. Reactivating it is primarily done by fixing your posture. Take a good look in the mirror at your posture before performing any exercises.

3. K.I.S.S - Keep IT Simple, Stupid. Simple movements with higher repetition and lower weight will be your saving grace. The supraspinatus is a small but resilient muscle that is trained best using high repetition exercises. Trying to make it big and bulky is pointless.

Shoulder rehabilitative exercises should focus on re-establishing scapulo-humeral rhythm and strengthening of the supraspinatus. Primarily, we should focus on scapular retractors (as previously discussed in pt. 2) and the supraspinatus. Now, this stuff can be pretty complex and too many exercises can overwhelm you, but I'm going to give you two exercises that will make give you the biggest bang for your buck!

Wall Angels

First find a nice wall in your house with no pictures and plenty of room to move your arms while outstretched. Remember when you were a kid and you did snow angels? Well this is very similar to that except your doing it on a wall and it's not as cold. Remember, high repetition is paramount in creating strong and healthy shoulder function. Take these steps when performing the motion:

1. Place your back against the wall with your feet about 6 inches away from the wall. Make sure your butt, shoulder blades, and the back of your head are touching (see 1a).

2. Raise your arms straight over your head and bend your elbows slightly. Try to keep your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and the back of your hands against the wall. If you can't keep all points touching, first start with the elbows touching and then work on keeping the other points touching later (see 1b).

3. Slowly lower about 90 degrees and raise your arms in an arc like you're making snow angels while keeping your butt, shoulder blades, back of your head, and elbows, and the back of your hands against the wall (see 1c). You should feel a massive burn in between your shoulder blades. If you do guess what……it's working.

4. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions at least 3 times per week. As your form gets better, increase frequency to 5 times per week.

(1a)

(1b)

(1c)

Physioball Y's (in scaption)

This exercise places a large emphasis on the supraspinatus and scapular retractors. In the initial stages, decrease repetitions if your form isn't perfect.

1. Lay on top of the physioball so your stomach is the contact point (2a).

2. Straighten out your legs (you can have your feet touching a wall for more support), your head in line with your body (head should now be extended or flexed), and your hands should be hanging down in front of you. Make sure your thumbs are pointing up when in this resting position (2b and 2c).

3. Retract your shoulder blades. While keeping your stomach tight, raise your arms up as far as you can into a "Y" position, while maintaining a flat back (2d).

4. Lower your arms and repeat this sequence for 3 sets of 15-20 reps.

(2a)

(2b)

(2c)

(2d)

Now, remember a few key points with these exercises:

1. Focus on form first. Crappy form will only get you crappy results

2. It's going to burn if you're doing them right. Don't be a wuss and fight through the pain.

3. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Noticed how I mentioned this MULTIPLE times throughout the article? The more you perform these exercises, the stronger your shoulder will become. Heavy weight lower repetition will only hurt your shoulder.

These are just a few of a number of exercises that can be done for shoulder health. Please take a good look at Coach Jon Doyle's DVD Rotator Cuff Fix™ DVD: Complete Shoulder Strengthening. It is packed with other great exercises that you can follow to make sure your shoulder is in peak condition.

Norman is a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic specializing in sports therapy and rehabilitation. He is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He received his doctorate from the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic in 2007 graduating summa cum laude.

Norman has treated numerous athletes in events like the New York City Marathon and The Gold Cup Soccer Tournament. He was also a strength and condition consultant to the University of Bridgeport athletic department. Norman is particularly fond of techniques like ART® (Active Release Technique) and Graston Technique in his treatment approach. For questions or comments Dr. Eng can be reached at neng7@hotmail.com

Special thanks to Dr. Anthony Tortorella for his tremendous modeling work in this article!

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