How To Build Stable Shoulders
Shoulder Joint
The shoulder joint is complex yet simple all at the same time. We traditionally think of the shoulder joint as the ball and socket. Other joints we don’t necessarily consider, but are still just as important are the AC and SC joints and the shoulder blade’s relationship to the rib cage. As you can see in the picture below, there are a lot of moving parts that all need to work together when we are moving our arm in any direction.
Shoulder Stability
If we look closely at the shoulder joint, we find that the “socket” isn’t really a socket because of the very shallow and almost flat bone at the opposite side of the ball. Think more of a golf ball on a golf tee. If a big gust of wind blows by when trying to tee off, the golf ball might fall off of the golf tee. Now think of the golf ball on the golf tee with a nice big rubber band deepening the socket and allowing a better place for that golf ball to sit. That rubber band is your labrum. Next let’s take a few more stiffer, but still stretchy, bands that attach around the golf ball to hold the golf ball onto the golf tee. Those stiffer bands are your rotator cuff tendon. Both the labrum and rotator cuff assist the joint stability by deepening the socket and tethering the ball close to the center of the socket. See the pictures below to see how these two structures are important for stability purposes.
What does this mean to you?
Understanding the labrum and the rotator cuff gives you and me and every healthcare professional great insight into how well your shoulder can perform under various circumstances. This means we can be very confident in what structures are in trouble if you have pain or weakness in different movements or positions. It’s also interesting to note that even if one of these tissues that help to deepen the socket are compromised, there are still a ton of other structures in place to help with stability. People who experience small and medium sized rotator cuff tears can usually go through conservative treatment and continue to live a very active life. Even some percentages of large (or massive) rotator cuff tears do not need any surgical intervention. The good news is your shoulder, just like the rest of your body, is very resilient in healing itself. There is a fine line between continuing to do too much on the shoulder while it’s healing and those who do too little or nothing at all when the shoulder is injured. It’s suggested you seek out a movement specialist like a physical therapist who can help guide you through your shoulder pain and weakness after an injury.
Stability Exercises
Below you find a series of videos demonstrating stability exercises that can be performed on shoulders that have little to no pain. If your shoulder pain is recent (within 1 month) or very high or both, then please refrain from trying these exercises and seek out professional help from your local physical therapist or another healthcare provider of choice.