Today we introduce a mobilization for the shoulder. This one doesn't seem to impressive. Most of us will look at this and think..."What?"
Many of us that work at a desk all day don't realize how little we move our shoulders throughout the day. I know when I'm on a roll at the laptop mine barely make it to 45 degrees forward all day. When this happens they become rounded forward and weak. That's not even the worst part. The reality is, if you don't move it you risk losing it!
We talked last time about collapse of the shoulder can contribute to impingement of neurovascular structures in the shoulder over time. This mobilization is a continuation of the process to keep that from happening, as well as keeping fluid pumping into the sift tissues around the shoulder. Performing this mobilization several times throughout the day will help relieve pressure from on these structures and bring some blood flow back to the tissues.
This mobilization helps activate the muscles of the shoulder and other structures around the joint. It also stimulates our biological joint lubricant, the synovial fluid, which helps keep the joint moving smoothly.
To perform this: Stand comfortably leaning forward slightly. Slowly let the arm swing freely back and forth from forward to back. Integrate this mobilization with our previous posts. Perform a few of these stretches every couple of hours if you can. Otherwise perform 2 sets of 10 in the morning and evening.
*The goal here is to mobilize the joint and activate the sift tissues, not to cause pain. If you have pain while doing this modify it (don't go as far) to be pain free or skip it.
