RSSMaintain shoulder health - consider skipping these exercises
May 26, 2011
The glehonumeral or shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the human body. This allows for great range of motion, but mobility comes at a cost. The shoulder joint is not a true ball and socket joint, which results in increased vulnerability compared to other ball and socket joints, e.g. the hip joint. While the hip joint has near perfect congruency, the shoulder joint depends on muscles and ligaments for stability.
The acromioclavicular or AC joint's vulnerability lies in the fact that it is only stabilized by ligaments, making non-surgical repair slow and often unsuccessful, depending on the severity of the injury.
Even when correctly performed some exercises can give you trouble. The following exercises involve adding resistance to muscles surrounding the shoulder joint while having the shoulder in an extreme position, close to its end range of motion. This can put strain on the joint and eventually compromise its integrity.
Upright rows:
Internal rotation with flexion of the shoulder may provoke impingement symptoms that can be annoying and hard to lose. If irritation persists and is left untreated it may progress to practically irreversible calcification of the supraspinatus or other rotator cuff tendons.
Weighted dips:
Maximal extension of the shoulder joint with added weight puts stress on the AC joint. Adding extra weight in addition to your body weight while doing dips increases the chances of acquiring an AC injury which is hard to treat and very, very bothersome.
Behind-the-neck triceps extension, pulldowns, and shoulder presses:
These exercises require the shoulder joint to be in a position of near maximum external rotation while making the surrounding muscles work. For that reason they are extremely demanding for the shoulder's active stabilizers (mainly rotator cuff). Especially those who suffer from shoulder instability should stay away from these exercises.
Provided that your shoulders are healthy, doing these exercises once in a while will not harm you. But think twice before you incorporate them into your regular workout routine. Adding resistance while keeping the shoulder joint near its end range of motion will put you at risk of injury over time.
Make sure your muscles are rested and ready before doing any kind of strenuous exercise. If you have pain during the execution of an exercise, do not finish your set. There are plenty of exercises for all body parts, find some that you can do comfortably without risking injury.
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