Repetitive use causes muscles to be overworked and then other muscles have to compensate, causing them to become overworked and that continues up the arm to the shoulder.
General Note: This video is designed primarily for people who are currently experiencing shoulder pain or discomfort. The focus is on things you can do right away to start making your shoulder feel better. This information is not a substitute for seeing a doctor or rehab professional, especially if you have significant shoulder pain.
1. Causes of Shoulder Problems – People who work in mines have a high risk of developing shoulder problems due to the demanding nature of the work. The main problem is the repetitive stress and trauma to the muscles that causes the shoulder muscles to become overworked.
2. Hand/Wrist to Shoulder Scenario – With shoulder pain, the problem usually starts in another area of the body and travels to the shoulder after other muscles become overworked. In this case, the problem starts in the hand, wrist, or forearm and travels up the arm to the shoulder as more and more muscles become overworked.
3. Stopping the cycle of pain – When muscles are overworked and causing pain, common problems are that they stay contracted too long and don’t relax enough. Therefore, overworked muscles become tight muscles and the first step in stopping the cycle of pain is to stretch the muscles and get them to relax.
Safety Note: If the problem is severe enough, the muscles may resist stretching and it will cause pain instead of leading to relaxation. In these situations, muscle relaxants or other treatments may be recommended, so it’s important to see a doctor. Ice is almost always useful as well.
4. Hand/Wrist/Forearm stretches – The muscles in the lower arm can become very tight to the point where it causes pain, yet many people never stretch these muscles. These are 3 basic stretches to loosen up various parts of the lower arm.
A. Hand on bench stretch (bottom forearm)
B. Hold hand and pull stretch (top forearm)
C. Hold hand and bend 1 finger down stretch (wrist)
5. Helpful Movements to loosen tight arm and shoulder muscles – Stretching is critical for improving muscle problems, but stretching alone often doesn’t solve the problem. Stretching helps improve flexibility, but it doesn’t help all the things that caused the problems to start in the first place, namely overuse and excess muscle tension.
Tension increases from repeating the same movements, keeping muscles contracted for long periods of time, or keeping the muscle stationary (lack of use). Cutting back on activities using the arm muscles is ideal, but may not be an option. In these cases, the next best thing is to perform movements that use the muscles in different ways and encourage them to relax. These are 3 basic things that can be done in any situation. Naturally, focus on the ones that are most effective for you.
A. Extend arms and spread fingers, contract/relax stretch
B. Straight arm rotation (hand flexed and/or extended)
C. Basic forearm massage and self-myofacial release
6. Future progression – As shoulder/arm pain decreases, you can start adding some light arm and shoulder rehab exercises. However, avoid doing too much too fast, because that can be counterproductive. The most important thing is to decrease pain and keep it from coming back.
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