Shoulder Stretches: Simple Exercises to Relieve Pain and Discomfort

Digital technologies, which greatly facilitate the life of a modern person, undoubtedly have a lot of advantages, but at the same time, technological progress has led to the fact that most of us have to spend almost the whole day in a sitting position, and not in the most comfortable position for the body . Only a few of us manage to maintain the correct posture while working at a computer or laptop, which, among other things, leads to pain in the neck, head, shoulders and discomfort throughout the body. This happens because overexertion of one muscle group entails a whole cascade of negative changes. Therefore, today our portal will tell you why it is so important to regularly perform shoulder stretching exercises and how to do it correctly.

Why Shoulder Stretching Is Necessary for Everyone

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, which makes it at a higher risk of injury and pain. Moreover, this joint is connected to the neck, ribs and shoulder blade.

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, which makes it at a higher risk of injury and pain.

For these reasons, shoulder stretching is not just for people with sedentary jobs. Carrying a heavy bag or backpack, many people do not notice how much their body position changes. Thus, in order to avoid overexertion of the shoulder muscles and prevent the occurrence of pain, it is necessary to regularly perform:

• warm-up before stretching shoulders;
• shoulder stretching exercises.

How to warm up before stretching the shoulders

Before performing any exercises, including those aimed at stretching the shoulders, you must first warm up the muscles – this will help minimize the risk of injury.

To do this, you need to do one of the following simple steps:

• stretch your arms in front of you and take them back and to the sides so that the body resembles the letter T;
• take a warm shower;
• run on the spot for several minutes;
• Perform "legs together, legs apart" jumps.

Before performing any exercises, including those aimed at stretching the shoulders, you must first warm up the muscles.

After warming up, you can begin to perform simple exercises to stretch your shoulders.

Shoulder stretching exercises: how to relax muscles and relieve discomfort

In principle, a good way to stretch your shoulders is to be in the correct sitting position: just sit up straight with your back straight and pull your shoulders back a little. Such actions can and should be performed at least every half hour at the workplace. The following exercises will also help straighten your shoulders:

1. Circular motions

Stand up straight and begin to circle your shoulders, gradually moving them up, down, forward and back. Or, while standing, start drawing circles with your hands, as shown in the picture below. Perform 10 circular movements, directing your hands forward, and 10 – back.

Sit up straight with your back straight and your shoulders slightly back. Such actions can and should be performed at least every half an hour at the workplace.

2. Neck Stretch

Very often muscle overstrain is observed exactly in the area that is being worked on during this exercise:

• touch your right shoulder with your right ear;
• put your right hand on your left temple and, applying light pressure, gently tilt your head to the right;
• hold in the final position for 30 seconds.

Repeat steps for other side of body.

3. "Thread in the needle"

This shoulder stretch is more suitable for doing at home and is especially effective. It is executed as follows:

• get on all fours and lift your left hand off the floor;
• pass the left hand through the space between the right leg and arm so that the left hand touches the right;
• Turn your upper body slightly to the right, but keep your hips level.

4. Chest Stretch

The muscles of the chest and shoulders are interconnected, therefore, if there is an overstrain in one area, negative changes can affect the neighboring one. To stretch your chest muscles you will need:

• stand near the doorway;
• raise your hand and keep it parallel to the floor;
• grasp the door frame and lean forward;
• so your hand will be behind your shoulder;
• hold for 30 seconds and repeat with the other arm.

This exercise allows you to stretch the muscles of the chest, upper arm and deltoid muscles.

5. Rhomboid muscle stretch

The rhomboid muscles located in the upper back extend from the shoulder blades to the spine. To stretch them you will need:

• find a pole or column to grab onto;
• relax your shoulders and begin to move your body back, straightening your arms;
• hold for 20 seconds at the end point and repeat the exercise on the other side.

6. "Scratch your back"

This shoulder stretch requires a certain level of flexibility, so don't be discouraged if you can't do the following the first few times:

• take a small towel or T-shirt;
• bend one arm over your head, lowering the towel over your back;
• bend your other hand behind your back and grasp the free end of the towel;
• move the towel up and down as if trying to scratch its back;
• perform 3–5 times and then switch hands.

Read also: 6 elementary exercises that will help straighten stooped shoulders

The above exercises, aimed at stretching the shoulder or related muscle groups, will help you get rid of the discomfort caused by incorrect body position during work, as well as prevent pain associated with muscle strain in the shoulder area.