Do you have pain in one or both of your shoulders? Shoulder pain can make even the easiest of tasks incredibly difficult to complete. It may even affect your ability to sit at your desk or negatively impact how you sleep at night.
There can be many reasons for shoulder pain, but before you jump to the worst conclusion, consider trying some simple yoga poses to relieve your shoulder discomfort.
Yoga does more than you think. Some people just think of scenes of meditation and stretching when they think of yoga. Actually, these are only two of numerous positive effects yoga has on your body. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Nursing found that yoga improves balance, flexibility, strength, pain levels among seniors, menopausal symptoms, daily energy level, and social and occupational functioning.
With all of these benefits, why not try to use it to relieve your persistent shoulder pain?
1: Cat Pose
Start on your hands and knee, making a “tabletop” position, where your back is the top of the table. Curve your spin toward the ceiling, stretching out your back and shoulder blades. If your shoulder pain is more toward your back, the Cat Pose might help relieve pressure or pain in
your shoulders.
2: Cow Pose
The Cow Pose is often combined with the Cat Pose because it starts in the same position. From the tabletop position, instead of curving your spine toward the ceiling, curve your spine downward toward the floor. You can go directly from the Cat Pose into the Cow pose, while focusing on your breathing to relieve shoulder pain.
3: Extended Triangle Pose
Stand with your feet spread wider than your shoulders, forming a triangle with your legs and the floor. Turn your left foot out at a 90 degree angle. Then bend toward your left foot and place your hand on your ankle. Your other hand is raised in the air reaching toward your left side. This will gently stretch the side of your shoulder. Repeat on the other side as well.
4: Standing Stretch
Place your right hand on the wall, and then slowly rotate your body outward away from the wall. You will feel this stretch in your shoulder as well as your arm and chest. While holding this stretch, some tingling may happen, as it stretches the deepest fascial tissue in your shoulder, arm, and chest. Repeat this stretch on the other side as needed.
5: Variation of Child’s Pose
When you normally do Child’s Pose, you are on your knees on the ground, drop your hips back, so your glutes rest on your legs, and keep your hands stretched out on the ground in front of you. To add an extra stretch to your shoulders, keep your elbows touching the floor but bend them. This will give you a deep shoulder stretch.
Try to do these yoga poses in the morning and at night to see if you can relieve your shoulder pain. If the pain persists, it may be because of a misalignment of your spine, or a pinched nerve, which could be relieved with chiropractic care.
If you are experiencing persistent shoulder pain, call the doctors at South Orange Chiropractic Care today to set up your consultation and first visit. Our staff is ready to help get you get rid of the shoulder pain, and take care of any other questions or concerns you may have about your overall health and wellness.
