Shoulder Pain
Shoulder Pain In Exercising Individuals Are More Due to Muscle Imbalances Created by Their Training Program than by Muscle Related Injury
Study
A group of researchers set out to determine strength imbalances of weight training participants who present with shoulder pain and tested positive for shoulder impingement syndrome. Since weight training places repetitive loads on the shoulder which is traditionally a non weight bearing joint it was hypothesized that overdevelopment of the larger muscles surrounding the shoulder without enough stimulation to their stabilizers could be one of the main things to perpetuate shoulder pain. 55 subjects were recruited for this study, 24 presenting with shoulder pain and 31 without. They were put through a variety of strength tests and strength ratios for their shoulder muscles and stabilizers were determined. For the upper to lower trapezius muscle strength the shoulder pain group revealed a strength ratio of around 10:1 while the non-painful group revealed a strength ratio closer to 8:1. When looking at the deltoid to external rotator cuff strength the shoulder pain group experienced a strength ratio of 3.25:1 while the non painful group demonstrated a ratio of 2.5:1.
Recommendation
This study demonstrates clear strength discrepancies in weight training individuals who present with shoulder pain and those who do not. Therefore it is important when developing a strength training program that exercises are selected that strengthen the external rotators and lower trapezius muscles. However, because of the complex nature of shoulder mechanics and the fact that these muscles need to be trained how to work together during exercises it is recommended to seek out a practitioner who understands proper shoulder mechanics and program design so they may better assist you in developing balanced, non-painful shoulder musculature.
Source
Kolber et al. “Shoulder Strength and Muscle Characteristics Among Weight-Training Participants With and Without Impingement Syndrome.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol. 31, Issue 4, April 2017, pp.1024-1032, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001554
