| You began your Saturday with 18 holes of golf, then | | | | anything heavier than a briefcase or a gallon of milk. |
| followed up with an afternoon of trimming hedges, | | | | 4. Stretching |
| pulling weeds, and planting flowers. Now it is bedtime, | | | | Gentle stretching and range-of-motion exercises are |
| and you can barely raise your arm to brush your hair. It | | | | important to your shoulder's rehabilitation because they |
| has every reason to balk. After all, your shoulders | | | | help to restore and improve flexibility. It is |
| work very hard over the course of a day. They are | | | | recommended to adopt this move to keep your |
| involved in numerous routine tasks, from turning | | | | shoulder loose and limber. Move the arm on the same |
| doorknobs to writing notes. Among all the joints in your | | | | side as your sore shoulder across your chest, toward |
| body, your shoulders are perhaps the most versatile. | | | | the opposite shoulder. Then gently pull the arm toward |
| They combine with a variety of tendons and muscles | | | | you by placing the opposite hand over the elbow. You |
| to give your arms their broad range of motion. So you | | | | should feel the stretch in the back of your shoulder. |
| feel as though you have been carrying the weight of | | | | Hold for at least 15 seconds. Repeat at least three |
| the world on your shoulders literally. The good news is | | | | times a day. |
| that you don't have to just grin and bear the burden of | | | | 5. Stop What You Are Doing |
| pain. Here are some tips that you can consider to | | | | If a particular activity has aggravated your shoulder, |
| adopt for fast relief. | | | | then give it up or at least cut back for the time being. |
| 1. Move Your Body Right | | | | Avoid any movement that can make your pain worse, |
| Whether you are a weekend warrior or a serious | | | | mainly reaching over or behind your head. |
| athlete, you can avoid a repeat performance of your | | | | 6. Make Nice With Ice |
| shoulder injury by having an expert check out your | | | | Applying ice for the first few days that your shoulder |
| body mechanics. A qualified fitness trainer or coach | | | | hurts can help reduce inflammation. It is recommended |
| can spot what you are doing incorrectly, for example, | | | | using a freezable gel pack, which you can purchase in |
| when you swing your tennis racquet, or lift a barbell | | | | a drugstore. Wrap the pack in a thin towel and lay it on |
| and teach you proper form and technique. | | | | top of your shoulder, perhaps wrapping an elastic |
| 2. Test Your Flexibility | | | | bandage around it to keep it in place. Leave it on for |
| You should be able to raise your arms overhead, both | | | | no more than 20 minutes and reapply it three times a |
| from the side and from the front. It is recommended | | | | day. |
| practicing these movements until you can do them | | | | 7. Switch To Heat |
| easily. Also practice reaching up behind your back, as if | | | | Once the inflammation subsides, you can begin treating |
| you were unhooking a bra. But don't try so hard that | | | | your sore shoulder with heat. It can help loosen up your |
| you strain yourself. | | | | shoulder if you are stiff. Just be sure that you use |
| 3. Limit Lifting | | | | moist heat, like a hot shower, rather than dry heat, like |
| It is also a good idea to refrain from heavy lifting while | | | | a heating pad. |
| your shoulder is sore. The rule of thumb is, don't hoist | | | | |