Defining an Overhead Athlete
At BodyFix PT and Performance, we consider anyone who lifts things over their head to be an overhead athlete. That means, if you are putting dishes away into a high cabinet, you are an overhead athlete. If you pick you kids up above your head, you are an overhead athlete. If you play catch with friends or family or the dog, you are an overhead athlete. We truly believe that everyone should be able to lift both of their arms overhead without any pain. In this blog post you will learn how to improve your ability to reach overhead or to decrease pain with reaching overhead.
Overhead Activities
Here is a list of some activities that we do and need to be able to reach overhead
Changing a lightbulb
Reaching into a cabinet
Painting a wall
Washing and styling your hair
Lifting a barbell overhead
Getting dressed
Pulling yourself out of a pool
Giving a high five
Throwing a ball
There is a difference in speed and velocity for some of these, but we all need to be able to get our arms overhead. If you are having trouble reaching overhead, we can help.
Everyone is Different
There are many reasons that you might have pain bringing your arm above your head. It is not always the shoulder. Let's take a look at some of the structures of the body that can restrict overhead motion and cause tightness and/or pain.
The Shoulder Complex
In its simplest form, the shoulder is a ball and socket joint. Picture a golfball on a tee and then turn it sideways. The tee represents the shoulder blade and the ball represents the upper arm.
The shoulder is made up of 3 bones:
Humerous (arm bone)
Scapula (shoulder blade)
Clavicle (collar bone)
There are muscles, ligaments, and tendons that help to keep the ball in the shallow socket. 4 of these muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor) make up what is called the rotator cuff. These muscles help stabilize the joint and move the shoulder into rotational directions. The bigger muscles that attach to the spine and shoulder, like the pecs and deltoids, move the shoulder and arm through space for reaching and throwing.
The final important piece of the shoulder is the way that the scapula moves around the rib cage. So any restriction in the muscles of the shoulder blade can cause decreased motion around the rib cage.
The shoulder blade makes up 1/3 of the total motion of reaching overhead!!
The Thoracic Spine and Rib Cage
The upper part of your back is called the thoracic spine and the ribs attach to it on both sides. If your thoracic spine cannot move into extension (think of standing or sitting as tall as you can) we cannot reach straight up. This can damage some of the tissues in the shoulder, but it is not the shoulder's fault. By being able to get the thoracic spine moving, we can decrease the stresses in the shoulder joint and calm down any symptoms that we have.
The Neck
Because the neck is so close to our shoulders, we need to take a look and make sure it is not causing our shoulder issues. A lot of the muscles that connect to the shoulder blade also connect somewhere on the neck or at the base of the skull. Any restriction in these muscles may cause your shoulder to not be able to move optimally.
The Low Back
As we get farther away down your back, there is less muscular attachment. Muscles of the low back (lats) can play a roll in some shoulder problems. But more commonly the spine is the culprit when we are talking about shoulder issues and raising your arm overhead. If the low back is too unstable, then we tend to get our stability from somewhere else in the spine (or hips). If the spine stiffens up to stabilize, that can reduce available movement at the shoulder and thoracic spine.
I Have Shoulder Issues, Now What?
When we see people that are struggling with shoulder problems, we screen them thoroughly, we don't want to waste your time working on something that isn't addressing the cause.
But.. There is a way that you can work towards deciphering what is your major restriction (shoulder, thoracic spine, neck, or low back) at home. This is not the only thing we look at when you are with us, but it can help guide you on what needs to be worked on.
The overhead squat:
We use the overhead squat to see where restrictions are coming from. Here are some quick tips for you to test yourself:
Before you try this at home, make sure you can put your arms overhead without any pain or issues with your shoulder or anywhere else!
We recommend that you do this with supervision so someone can help you answer the following questions.
When you squat down:
a. Does your torso come down or stay up?
If your torso comes down, you may have some thoracic spine issues or low back issues. We suggest rolling out the back on a foam roller.
b. Does your head stay looking straight ahead?
If your head drops this could be a neck issue causing your symptoms. We suggest doing some chin tucks or neck stretches.
c. Are you able to keep your torso up, but your arms come in front of your head?
This is most likely a thoracic spine issue that is causing your shoulder issues. We suggest working on the muscles of the shoulder blades and thoracic spine mobility.
We definitely get into more detail during an appointment and work on the tissues, muscles, and joints that are involved for you. Everyone is different and everyone will require different needs to get back to reaching overhead. If you would like to work with us please don't hesitate to call (425-202-5687) or email (info@bodyfixpt.com).
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