Are you currently recovering from a shoulder injury? Perhaps you’ve injured yourself during team sports activities, fallen off your bicycle, or strained yourself somehow. Whatever the case, looking after yourself is the priority. But what if you want to still work out? Should you exercise with a shoulder injury? Is it safe? Fear not, because this helpful article will share all about working out while recovering from a shoulder injury. We at Lichico Fitness will cover everything you need to know about this topic, so continue reading to learn more. 

Seek Medical Advice

The first thing you should do is to talk to your doctor or physiotherapist to see if exercise is indeed safe for a shoulder injury. They are the experts and should be able to advise on whether or not you’re capable of any form of exercise. It may be that during the acute stages of your shoulder injury, rest is prescribed. However, you may also be able to engage in mild or moderate exercise under their supervision. Make an appointment with your doctor or physio in order to explore your options and see what is safe, possible and practical.

What Exercise to Avoid

There are definitely some types of exercise that you should avoid while recovering from a shoulder injury. You should avoid any overhead pressing exercises, like the military press or shoulder press. Furthermore, avoid any incline pressing exercises, such as the incline chest press. You should also avoid any movements that compress your shoulder, such as planking and the downward dog yoga position. Dips are also out, as these can exacerbate a shoulder injury. 

Also, as a general rule of thumb, if you feel any discomfort or pain in your shoulder during exercise, that is a movement type that you need to avoid while you recover. 

Easing Back into Exercise After an Injury

Before you can start performing intensive shoulder workouts at home or in the gym, you need to correct any existing mobility issues you may have, and strengthen the muscles that help move and stabilize your shoulder joint. Ideally, you’d work with a physiotherapist who can guide you through correct and ideal movement patterns to help you heal and recover. You should have a focus on mobility and strength building. Otherwise, you’re attempting to strengthen something that can’t move, and you might wind up causing further pain and strain. 

You’re going to need to take things slowly, be consistent with your rehab exercises, and ease back into workouts slowly. You may be tempted to rush, but the last thing you want is to make things worse and set yourself back weeks or even months. 

Some of the key aspects of post-injury recovery are accepting your situation, being realistic and practical, and viewing rehab as you would training and regular exercise.

One low-impact exercise you can definitely do with a shoulder injury is go for a brisk walk or use a treadmill. This is a great way to get in some cardio exercise while you recover, as it will build up a sweat and give you all the benefits of exercise without risking further straining your shoulder. 

Steps to Exercise After a Shoulder Injury

1. Mobilize your shoulder joint and surrounding muscles.

A common problem with shoulder dysfunction or injury is overly tight pectoral muscles but weaker upper back muscles, so you need to balance these. 

2.  Strengthen stabilizing muscles

A good example of this is making sure you can properly retract your shoulder blades well. Strengthening this ability will allow you to use your shoulder muscles more effectively during those shoulder exercises.

3. Practice movement patterns and correct positioning

Once you're focusing on the correct muscles during shoulder exercises, you may have to bring your weights down for a while. Your body may have been relying on other, stronger muscles to get through the movements, so you need to reduce your weights and lighten the load. Focusing on form over heavier weights will help prevent future injuries and actually work out the muscles you’re targeting.

4. Slowly build strength through volume and load.

Once you’re activating your muscles and executing movement patterns the right way, you can slowly start increasing the volume and load to build your strength back up. You might want to mix it up for each workout and increase either load or volume, but not both at the same time. If you find that you can no longer perform an exercise with the correct form, it’s time to stop and take a break. Pushing past this point, while tempting, will increase your overall risk of overexertion, which can lead to further injury, including strains and sprains.

5. Consistently monitor yourself for pain or discomfort.

It is essential to avoid further injury to your shoulder, and that requires listening to your body. Stop immediately if you experience pain or discomfort. 

A Shoulder Summary

This informative article discusses working out while recovering from a shoulder injury. It offers top tips and hints and specific steps for exercising while recovering. Follow the advice in this article to maintain your fitness while your shoulder heals.