This happens to everyone at least once. You have been exercising for days, months, or years, and each repetition is completed without injury. You are about to finish your third set and hear a loud pop, which is followed by a newly acquired pain in your shoulder. You shrug it off, and try to move onto the next exercise in your set, but every time you try and perform the movement you shoulder hurts. What happened? You have been working out for so long and have never injured yourself. If this has happened to you, do not fear, you are not alone.
In the gym, people are injuring themselves all the time. In 2003 there were 14 million visits to the doctors office with regards to shoulder injuries, that were due to musculoskeletal misalignment. The musculoskeletal system allows humans to move through the use of the muscular and skeletal system. It is made up of skeleton, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other connective tissue. The musculoskeletal system is a beautifully designed system, and when properly trained can lower the risk of injury. Unfortunately when this system is improperly trained, it can become misaligned and lead to a higher risk of injury. The shoulder is just one of the joints that provide range of motion to the human body. There are 360 joints in the average human. Your joints, when properly aligned, can work together efficiently to provide safe and functional movements, however if one joint is not functioning properly it can throw off the alignment of the rest of your body. A study showed that in the first six weeks of exercise, sedentary adults over-trained their bodies which led to a 50-90% injury rate. If an individual lacks the proper flexibility, core and joint stability, or has muscle imbalances, than their musculoskeletal system is misaligned, and that result in an injury! This is why a balanced exercise program is so important. If the human body is going to be placed under physiological stress, or in this case exercise, than it had better be functioning properly. For example, kyphosis is a type of upper body muscular imbalance. Kyphosis is a condition in which the spine in the upper back has excessive curvature. It is also known as rounded shoulders with a forward protruding head.
A healthy spine should have the ears in line with the shoulders and the shoulders in line with your hips, along with a natural curve in the spine. This kyphotic posture causes a deceased range of motion in the shoulder joint. The shoulder is no longer functioning properly. This can result in a shoulder injury!
The man on the left is demonstrating a push-up with a kyphotic spine. The man on the right is demonstrating a push-up with a neutral spine. Which posture looks better? Who do you think is more prone to injury? Be safe when you train. If you have any type of pain, in any joint, talk to your doctor, then speak with someone who specializes in corrective exercise. When your body limits your range of motion it is doing it for a reason. Do not push an exercise when you are not performing it properly. Remember that you should always lift with proper form.
References
Thoracic kyphosis, sitting posture, and shoulder pain. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2015.
What causes kyphosis? 9 possible conditions. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2015.
Clark, M., & Lucett, S. (2008). NASM essentials of personal fitness training (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Thoracic kyphosis, sitting posture, and shoulder pain. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2015.
What causes kyphosis? 9 possible conditions. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2015.
Clark, M., & Lucett, S. (2008). NASM essentials of personal fitness training (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.