If you are mobile and functionally strong enough to condition your shoulders and scapulae with hanging and swinging exercises, you might begin to work at the progressions in this video.
For an overview of exercise progressions that you can work at to improve your mobility and balance in a systematic way, please feel free to visit our Mobility Exercise Progressions page here: Read more
This post offers a collection of my favourite band exercises for improving shoulder mobility and stability.
If you've dislocated a shoulder in the past, please be conservative with any exercises you try, and after clearing things with your physician, you might start with those that have your arms no higher than chest level. Over time, as your shoulders feel stronger and more mobile, you can gradually work your arms overhead. Read more
This is a simple and highly effective shoulder mobility exercise that you can do anywhere.
Lie prone on a comfortable surface and begin with a towel or scarf outstretched above your head - you want to keep your elbows locked out, and maintain enough tension on the towel or scarf to keep it taut. Read more
You can do this routine anywhere; the benefit of doing it in a pool is the bit of resistance that your arms have to move through for parts of this routine, which promotes improved strength and is a good reminder to focus on taking your arms through controlled quality movement. Read more
If you have access to gymnastics rings, another suspension training system like TRX, or even a stable overhead bar, you can lean into it with your hands while your arms are straight overhead, and gently induce flexion through your shoulder joints. Read more
Start with arm circles. Ideally, you want to keep your shoulder blades (scapulae) squeezed together as you take your shoulders through small, controlled circles, forward and backward.
Proceed to Cow-Cat to mobilize your spine and scapulae. Alternate between flexion and extension of your spine, focusing on controlled movement throughout. Read more
If you have shoulder pain and stiffness while using your arms overhead, I encourage you to add scapular mobility exercises to your self care routine, as optimal movement of your shoulder blades along the posterior surface of your ribcage is vital to ensuring proper biomechanics of your shoulder joints when your arms are raised overhead.
If you're new to scapular mobility exercises, I would start with the Cow-Cat drill found here: Read more
Hanging from an object overhead is one of the most effective ways of maintaining and improving shoulder and spinal mobility.
Be sure that you are warmed up before engaging in hanging exercises - ideally, you want to take your shoulders and spine through a solid warm-up and even work up a bit of perspiration to ensure that your tissues are well perfused with blood to prevent injury. Read more
After 21 years, we made the difficult decision to bring our catalogue to a close. To stay connected with Dr. Kim's writings, please feel free to subscribe for free here: Dr. Ben Kim on Substack. Sending best wishes and thanks to all.