shoulder pain and lat tightness

A lot of shoulder pain is a result of tight shoulder internal rotators.  The internal rotators of the shoulder are the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, biceps, latissimus dorsi, teres major, and subscapularis.  This group of muscles play a large role in pulling motions.  To simplify this article, I will focus on the latissimus, also known as the "lats".  The lats are a large muscle group that attach to the back of your neck, most of your spine, scapulae (shoulder blades), your upper arm bone (the humerus), and your pelvic girdle.  When these muscle are tight or overdeveloped they can cause imbalances and improper alignment of the whole shoulder complex.  They can become tight through overuse or through the less than optimal postures we work in or sit in each day.  To counteract this tightening and shortening of the lats it is important to stretch them on a regular basis.  This can be accomplished in many ways.  Here are two easy ones... 1.  Hang from a pull up bar (use support under your feet if you need to)  and 2.  practice a child's pose yoga stretch (look it up!).  By stretching the lats, and other shoulder internal rotators, it is possible to improve the alignment and motion of the shoulder to help eliminate or lessen pain.  This is a very simple explanation and if you are interested in more detail, leave a comment.  Always exercise or stretch within your own comfort zone and if you are unsure, wait and ask your doctor.  Thanks

all about posture

Posture is a topic I have spent a lot of time studying and evaluating.  As a physical therapist it is a topic that I commonly get asked about.  Is posture important?  Absolutely!  It allows the body to function more efficiently and effectively.  Without getting into a lot of detail here, I will say that posture is a by product of our habits, moods and energies and not something that we "fix" by constantly reminding ourselves to lift our head up or put our shoulders back.  There is a lot we can do to improve our posture and I would love to help!  Please ask any questions at the bottom of the post!

rest more, do less

There is a time for doing and a time for resting.  A lot of healing in physical therapy comes from resting.  It comes from giving the body a chance to heal while we do our best to remove obstacles and create environments conducive to healing.