Shoulder injury is one of the most common type of injuries that athletes and people suffer from. Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, seems to bother individuals who are getting older more frequently than younger individuals.
No one really knows what causes frozen shoulders. It may occur as a secondary effect from previous injuries or from an external injury such as a bruise and sometimes there is no real explanation why someone is inflicted with frozen shoulder. Here are some exercises that can help you cure frozen shoulders when you’re ready for some rehabilitation.
Scapular wall slides
This exercise is a really effective rehab movement. Start by pushing your body towards the wall with your heels about 4 inches away from it. Only your glutes (butt), upper back, head and arms should be making contact with the wall. Raise your hands up as high as you can and push your elbows down and towards the wall as much as you can. Your shoulder blades should be contracting hard. Aim for 3 sets of 12 reps.
Face pulls
Face pulls help scapular retraction and cures any shoulder imbalance you might have. Even when you are done rehabilitating, this is a great upper back and rear delt exercise to include in a program. Take a high cable pulley and with two hands pull it towards your face with your elbows retracted back. 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps will do well. To see how it’s done, click here.
Push up
The simple push up is great for shoulder health. The movement of the push up strengthens the rotator cuff and builds stability in the shoulder. Start by assuming a push up position with your hands positioned just beside your body. Your elbows should be tucked in and not pointed out; this will be easier for your elbow and will aid your shoulders more. Your abs, legs and head should form a straight line and be kept stiff to ensure proper form. Start off with 3 sets of as many reps as you can do and progress from there.
External rotation
Start this movement using light weights. This is not a time to have your ego in the way. If done wrongly, you will aggravate your shoulder injury. Start by taking a pair of dumbbells and raise your elbows up to shoulder level. Using your elbow as a pivot, rotate the dumbbells back. Keep in mind to perform this exercise with full range of motion. To see how it should be done, click here.
Shoulder scapular retraction
Similar to the face pull, this is a great movement to hit the rear shoulders. Lie down on an incline bench on your stomach and hold 2 dumbbells on the side. Now simply perform a scapular retraction. The movement may seem a bit like shrugging but you want to shrug back and not up. Do this exercise for 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Shoulder injuries are never fun. Especially when you don’t even know what causes it. Start adding some of these exercises in your workout routines and you will significantly reduce the chances of having frozen shoulders.
