If your shoulders are stiff and sore, you may be experiencing the onset of ‘frozen shoulder’…
Menopause and hormonal imbalances can be a contributing factor.
Regular exercise, frequent breaks in between activities and healthy lifestyle habits can save you from this condition.
Include the stretches & rotator cuff strengthening moves from the video:
Pendulum stretch (pot stirs):
* Relax your shoulders.
* Stand and lean over slightly, allowing your affected arm to hang down.
* Swing the arm in a small circle — about a foot in diameter.
* Perform 10 revolutions in each direction, once a day.
* As your symptoms improve, increase the diameter of your swing, but never force it.
* When you’re ready for more, increase the stretch by holding a light weight (three to five pounds) in the swinging arm.
Towel stretch:
* Grasp a three-foot-long towel with both hands behind your back, and hold it in a horizontal position.
* Use your good arm to pull the affected arm upward to stretch it.
* You can also perform an advanced version of this exercise with the towel draped over your good shoulder.
* Grasp the bottom of the towel with the affected arm and pull it toward the lower back with the unaffected arm.
* Do this stretch 10 to 20 times a day.
Finger walk:
* Face a wall three-quarters of an arm’s length away.
* Reach out and touch the wall at waist level with the fingertips of the affected arm.
* With your elbow slightly bent, slowly walk your fingers up the wall, spider-like, until you’ve raised your arm to shoulder level, or as far as you comfortably can. Your fingers should be doing the work, not your shoulder muscles.
* Slowly lower the arm (with the help of the good arm, if necessary) and repeat.
* Perform this exercise 10 to 20 times a day.
Cross body reach:
* Sit or stand.
* Use your good arm to lift your affected arm at the elbow, and bring it up and across your body, exerting gentle pressure to stretch the shoulder.
* Hold the stretch for 15 to 20 seconds.
* Do this stretch 10 to 20 times per day.
Arm pit stretch:
* Using your good arm, lift the affected arm onto a shelf about breast-high.
* Gently bend your knees, opening up the armpit.
* Deepen your knee bend slightly, gently stretching the armpit, and then straighten.
* With each knee bend, stretch a little further, but don’t force it.
* Do this stretch 10 to 20 times each day.
And to strengthen the rotator cuff:
Internal rotation:
* Stand next to a closed door, and hook one end of a rubber exercise band around the doorknob.
* Grasp the other end with the hand of the affected arm, holding the elbow at a 90-degree angle.
* Pull the band toward your body two or three inches and hold for five seconds.
* Repeat 10 to 15 times, once a day.
External rotation:
* Hold a rubber exercise band between your hands with your elbows at a 90-degree angle close to your sides.
* Rotate the lower part of the affected arm outward two or three inches and hold for five seconds.
* Repeat 10 to 15 times, once a day.
Remember, motion is lotion. The less you move, the less you’ll be able to move, so do your best to keep moving!
Want more training tips? I’ve got 35 ‘how to’ videos for you, they’re yours for free here.