A sore shoulder can result from numerous causes, including arthritis, bursitis, exercise-induced muscle soreness, muscle strains and tendinitis, just to name a few. Performing stretching and strengthening exercises targeting the affected area may help relieve the soreness over time. Consult with your physician if you still feel sore after several days of treatment.
Anterior Shoulder Stretch
The anterior shoulder stretch may help alleviate soreness in front of your shoulder joint. The exercise targets the anterior deltoid and other muscles that contribute to shoulder flexion, allowing you to lift your arm in front of your chest. Stand facing away from a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Extend your arms backward and place your palms flat on the wall with your fingers pointed upward. Flex your hips and knees to move your buttocks backward and downward toward the wall, but keep your hands in place. Stop when you feel gentle tension through the front of your shoulders, then hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Posterior Shoulder Stretch
The posterior shoulder stretch targets the posterior deltoid, which lies behind your shoulder joint, and the other muscles that facilitate shoulder extension and hyperextension ranges of motion. Stand about 3 feet behind a chair. Have a partner sit on the chair so it doesn't slide along the floor as you perform the exercise. Lean forward and grasp the back of the chair with either forearm crossed over the other. Lean forward more and move your hips backward until you feel a light stretch through the back of your shoulders. Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds, then relax.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Performing the dumbbell shoulder press exercise works the muscles that abduct your shoulder joints, allowing you to raise your arms away from your sides. This will stimulate blood flow to your shoulders and potentially help relieve soreness. Sit on a chair or bench and hold dumbbells in front of your chest with your palms facing your body and elbows pointed downward. Extend both arms overhead and rotate your palms so they face forward at the top, then reverse back to the starting position. Complete six to 15 repetitions, depending on the weight of the dumbbells.
External/Internal Rotation
The muscles that externally and internally rotate your shoulders may feel sore after playing sports during which you execute an overhead striking or throwing movement repeatedly. Performing strengthening exercises emphasizing external and internal rotation ranges of motion may expedite the recovery process. Lie on a flat bench on the side opposite your sore shoulder. Hold a dumbbell in your top hand and bend your elbow to 90 degrees, crossing your forearm over your abdomen and anchoring your elbow to the front of your ribs. Externally rotate your shoulder to lift your forearm away from your body, then lower it back down and repeat. Move through the same ranges of motion to perform the internal rotation exercise, but lie on the same side as your injured shoulder and hold the dumbbell with your bottom hand. Start with your forearm extended away from your abdomen and internally rotate your shoulder to lift your forearm across your abdomen, then lower it back down and repeat.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Shoulder Pain
- ExRx.net: Wall Front Deltoid Stretch
- "Relax Into Stretch"; Pavel Tsatsouline; 2001
- ExRx.net: Dumbbell Arnold Press
- "The Baseball Drill Book"; Bob Bennett; 2004
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