Shoulder impingement accounts for 44-65% of cases related to shoulder pain. The cause of the impingement can be structural or functional. Structural impingement can be caused by the reduction of space between the humeral head and the shoulder blade socket due to bone growth or soft-tissue inflammation. The functional impingement is caused by the change in position of the humeral head in relation to the shoulder blade socket due to muscle weakness and/or imbalance. In this newsletter Theo discusses how our E4/E5 machine can effectively help in addressing the functional impingement of the shoulder. 

Blame your 8 hour desk job for shoulder weakness. Being in a seated position for hours on end and constantly typing promotes considerable changes in our posture. As a result, we begin to develop imbalances in our upper torso as our shoulders arch forward and upper back becomes more rounded. Sooner or later we start to complain about sensations of pain or clicking sounds coming from our shoulders and upper back when performing activities of daily living. Individuals involved in sports which constantly utilize the arms such as swimming, tennis and baseball also often experience pain around the shoulder region. These pains may be a result of overuse or weak muscles. We can remedy all of these situations with exercise, particularly isolated strength training. 

The shoulder region is a very complex and intricate system of muscles, bones and connective tissue attaching and inserting to areas of the upper arm, shoulder blade and upper back. However, when it comes to strengthening the shoulder and improving posture, it is important that two main muscles are isolated directly without help from other larger surrounding muscles. These two muscles are the infraspinatus and the subscapularis muscles.

• Infraspinatus:

Courtesy of www.wikipedia.org

Function - brings shoulder to a retracted position (towards the back)

Movement required - external rotation of the arm

Courtesy of www.wikipedia.org

Function - brings shoulder to a protracted position (towards the front)

Movement required - internal rotation of the arm

From the functions of the two muscles described above, strengthening the shoulder and correction of posture can be done by performing either one or both of the movements. For example, office workers are prone to caved in shoulders (protracted), thus the exercise required to fix this imbalance would be an external rotation of the arm which targets the infraspinatus muscle.

Athletes and clients in many rehabilitative settings can be seen performing these exercises using other forms of resistance such as coloured elastic bands and free weights. However, without proper supervision and correct form, these two muscles will not be effectively isolated and other muscles such as the triceps, trapezius and lats get all of the attention.