5 Kinds of Shoulder Injuries You Need to Know About

June is coming and it’s finally getting hot in most places. That means all manner of outdoor activities on the horizon. From barbeques to football, families and friends will be out running around soaking up the sun they so desperately craved in the cold winter season. With all the playing and moving it also means that the season is ripe for injuries. One such injury one can expect, if not careful, is to the shoulder region.

Sports are wonderful, but whether you’re playing it often or haven’t played in a while you’re bound to get injured if proper precautions are not taken. Sometimes, you may even take all the precautions and still get injured. If you’re playing football or any contact sport you know there’s bound to be an issue. When bodies collide, the stress and trauma adds up and could immediately or eventually lead to a serious problem.

All shoulder injuries aren’t made the same. The most notable injury will be to the rotator cuff area, namely through a tear. As you’ll recall, four muscles make up the rotator cuff and they allow you to rotate and raise your arms. These muscles attach to the bone via tendons, but if the tendons tear the humerus can’t move properly in the socket.

Tendons degenerate and lose strength with age and if you’re less active, this weakening of the tendons could lead to a tear. Repeated movement and stress to these tendons could even lead to impingement. Rotator cuff tendons can also be injured or torn as a result of heavy lifting with an extended arm, falling, or by trying to catch heavy falling objects.

If you’ve never heard of the term “frozen shoulder”, just think of extreme stiffness and being unable to move the shoulder in any direction without pain. Frozen shoulder can impact people with diabetes, and thyroid, heart, and Parkinson’s disease. It could happen if the shoulder is immobile for a period and if there was a minor injury that healed with scar tissue. The scar tissue reduces flexibility, making the shoulder more prone to injury.

Speaking about flexibility, instability in the shoulder is also a cause for concern but mostly for younger people and athletes. If muscles and ligaments become stretched beyond normal limits it will lead to shoulder instability. Remember outdoor activities and sports I mentioned earlier? Motions like tackling and pitching, or motions that put great force on the shoulder can stretch the ligaments over time.

Instability can become such a problem that the ligaments that normally hold the clavicle to the acromion tear causing shoulder separation or a sprain. The shoulder is dislocated If the ligament holding the shoulder bone tears and can’t hold the joint together. Falling on an outstretched arm, hand, or shoulder, or a violent twist could also cause shoulder dislocation. Expect pain that becomes worse with movement and if you’re out playing and it happens, apply ice right away.

Let’s not forget arthritis as a possible cause for concern. When the smooth surfaces of the cartilage lining the bones of the shoulder joint are worn out, pain can ensue upon movement. Arthritis in the shoulder can become so bad that a shoulder replacement might be necessary. Overuse is often a common factor that leads to this problem and it can affect you as early as 50.

While we’re on the subject of overuse, sudden increases in activity can put stress on the shoulders and lead to a loss in flexibility. This is common in people who don’t exercise, increased their workload recently, and play intense sports after taking time off from it. This is most likely one of the issues you or someone you know, might confront this summer. Warm up properly and ease into it. Remind yourself to take breaks and rest the shoulders. If you start feeling pain, even if it’s a dull pain, there’s a good chance you’re overusing your shoulders.

So, with everything said here you’re ready to hit the field and toss the pigskin or perform other activities outdoors. I also want to help prepare you this summer by telling you about our good friends the Educational Fitness Solutions. Their Online Certificate in Sports Nutrition is a great idea for learning more about athletes and even average gym goers, and how nutrition plays a part in the mix.

Check out their program by Clicking Here>>