Tight shoulders affect your posture and can make certain activities difficult, like lifting your arms overhead. A comprehensive stretching routine helps improve the range of motion of your shoulder joint and can help prevent shoulder injuries. Perform a shoulder stretching routine at least twice per week, focusing on problematic muscles like your lattisimus dorsi, pectoralis major and pectoralis minor.
Lat Release
Your latissimus dorsi is a broad muscle that runs from your back to your shoulder, causing several movements of your arm. Tight latissimus muscles can make your shoulders roll forward and make it difficult to lift your arms overhead. Foam rolling your latissimus muscles can help improve flexibility of your shoulders by reducing muscle tension. Lie on your side with the foam roller just below your armpit. Roll so the foam roller descends all the way to the base of your ribs and back up to your armpit, pausing on tender spots for 30 seconds or until the muscle releases.
Ball Overhead Stretch
Stretch your latissimus muscles after you have performed the foam roller release. Start in a kneeling position with your hands on an exercise ball, placed shoulder width apart and resting close to your body. If you can't kneel comfortably, place a yoga mat under your ankles and a large pillow underneath your buttocks. Lean forward from the hip and allow the ball to roll forward, bringing your arms up by your ears as your torso descends toward the ground. Your ending position should look like child's pose from yoga, but your hands are elevated on the exercise ball. Make sure your arms are straight. Press your palms down into the exercise ball for five seconds, release and slowly roll back to your starting position.
Pectoralis Minor Release
Your pectoralis minor is a small muscle that pulls your shoulder blade forward, causing the appearance of hunched shoulders. Find a corner wall in your home, office or gym. Place a tennis ball against the wall as close to the corner as you can. Lean into the ball so pressure is applied to the top, outer portion of your chest. You should be able to avoid having your head rub against the wall because you are standing at the corner. Rock back and forth on the ball, pausing on tender spots for 30 seconds or until the muscle releases.
Wall Chest Stretch
Stretch your chest muscles by placing one hand on a wall corner and turning away from it until you feel a moderate stretch or your elbow is in line with or slightly behind your shoulders. Make sure that your shoulders do not roll forward or rise up toward your ears. Hold for 30 to 120 seconds or until the muscle releases. If you do not feel a stretch, then your range of motion is normal and you do not need to stretch your chest muscle.
Snow Angel
Lie on your back on the floor with your hands at your sides on the floor, palms up. Raise your arms out to the sides as if you are doing a snow angel, keeping the backs of your arms in contact with the floor. Raise your arms as close to your ears as you can without their coming off the ground. Perform snow angels standing against a wall for a more advanced exercise. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, your knees slightly bent and your buttocks, middle back, upper back and head against the wall. Raise your arms out to the sides, keeping the backs of your arms in contact with the wall. Raise your arms as close to your ears as you can without their coming off the wall.
Considerations
A shoulder stretching routine is best learned under the supervision of an exercise professional because incorrect stretching can stretch your ligaments, causing joint laxity. Do not begin a shoulder stretching routine until a doctor has evaluated your shoulder joint for structural integrity, especially if you are experiencing discomfort.
References
- Perform Better; Self-Myofascial Release Techniques; Micheal Clark, et al.
- Sports Injury Bulletin: Shoulder Injuries & Injury Prevention; Ulrik Larsen
- Community Health Training, Inc.: Pain Relief for the Anterior Shoulder/Pectorali
- American Council on Exercise: Supine Snow Angels
- Core Performance; Reach, Roll - Physioball; January 2009
