Most people who work in an office or are bound to a desk, always come up to me with the same complaints, and 90% of the time, it is to do with their shoulders. Most people actually get confused when dealing with ‘the shoulder joint’, and this probably stems from making a very simple mistake. The shoulder is actually more than one joint, it is four, and is one of the most complex systems of anatomy in the body! Here is a quick ‘blaggers guide’ to get you clued up on this complex system…

The shoulder complex is made up of the Gleno-humeral (Gh) joint, the Scapulo-thorasic (St) joint, the Acromio-clavicular (Ac) Joint and the Sterno-clavicular (Sc) Joint. These joints involve the bones of the Humerous (Upper Arm), the Scapular (Shoulder Blade), the Sternum (Breast bone), the Clavical (Collarbone) and the bony bits on the top of the shoulder, known as the Acromium Group. All these bones link up to create the above joints.

All these bones are moved by a bunch of muscles including, but not exclusively, the Pecs, the Delts, the Traps, the Lats and the Rotator Cuffs, and all these muscles work together to balance both the mobility and stability of the Shoulder

Now that there is a little bit more understanding of the shoulder, lets take a closer look at the most common complaint, and ways that it can be effectively managed to keep you fit, healthy, and off the injury list!

Scapilar Downward Rotation Syndrome (SDS).

One of the most common ailments of the shoulder is called Scapular Downward Rotation Syndrome, and often leads to shoulder and neck pain, as well as head-aches and occasional arm numbness. It is very common, but not entirely easy to fix, so the best way to stop a problem from developing, is to nip it in the bud with a course of pre-hab.

If it sounds like you may be in an early stage of SDS, there are a few things you need to look at;

• Daily Environment & Habits - Take a look at the way you sleep and the way your desk is set up! We spend so much time in both these places that if one is causing aggravation, it could lead to a serious injury. Your seat, desk, keyboard and monitor all have an optimal alignment for correct posture; most companies offer free assessments and provide guidelines for this! Source out your company’s policy and take advice where ever possible! Also, invest in a good pillow and mattress. If you can make your desk and bed ‘posture friendly’, you are a long way along the road to being injury free!

• Correct Exercise Technique - Believe it or not, the mirrors in the gym aren’t there to check your hair and make-up, or to scope out the ‘fly honies’ on the steppers, they are actually there for you to see your form and technique. An early warning sign to spot is scapular elevation with any form of rowing. If when you pull the bar into your stomach, your shoulders hitch up a little, this could be a symptom that things are not as they should be. Ask a trainer in your club to run you through some basic ‘movement screens’ to make sure all is hunky dory with your simple movement patterns, and do some corrective exercises if needed!

• Structural Balance - Take a look at your program (that thing you were given a few weeks ago with all the exercises on it…) and make sure that for every ‘push’, there is a ‘pull’, and for every ‘up’ movement, there is a corresponding ‘down’. This is a very general statement, but on the whole, could be useful in highlighting potential flaws in your workouts.

Most people if left to their own devises would end up with a series of exercises that promote scapular protraction (presses), scapular elevation (shrugs) and internal rotation (pull-downs etc). A well written program would balance these exercises with retraction work (rows), scapular depressions (trap raises) and external rotation work (outwards rotator cuff moves). Look over your program and see if this is the case; if not, change it so that you can keep training, and not come down with needless injuries.

These three things, if implemented into your everyday life and workout routines, could save you a lot of discomfort, and keep you far away from the physios’ table. If things are already starting to flair up, look out for the next installment of our shoulder section: Shouldering the Burden; Rehab, and find out some tips about how to get your shoulder back strong and pain free.