Exercises to Prevent Shoulder Injury

One ways to prevent injury of the shoulder is to do a proper warm up and stretch before activity.  Not sure what to do?  Here are some simple warm ups and stretches to get you started. Check back soon for our next post on exercises to strengthen the shoulder muscles. 

To do these simple shoulder warm ups and stretches, all you need is a towel, yard stick or even a baseball or lacrosse stick. The goal is to warm up the muscles and gently stretch the muscles so they are ready for more vigorous activity. 

Exercise 1:  Hold the stick a little farther than shoulder distance apart. Raise arms in front of the body and above the head. 

Exercise 2:  Continue to hold the stick and raise arms side to side. 

Exercise 3:  Again still holding the stick, lower the stick behind the head. 

Exercise 4:  Finally, hold the stick behind the lower back and gently press up. 

Perform 3 sets of 10 for each motion.  Each stretch should be performed gently.  If a specific motion causes pain, stop. 

See pictures below:

Behind the Back Stretch



Behind the Neck Stretch

Side to Side Stretch

In Front Arm Raises