If you have pain between your shoulder blades, you know that it can remain no matter how much you stretch. The pain may dissipate for a short while, but then it comes back without warning. Doing the wrong stretches may increase the pain, so engaging in the right movements is paramount. This article aims to highlight the causes of pain between the shoulders and what you can do to get rid of it.
What Causes Pain Between The Shoulders?
The way you sit, the way you exercise, or even that hunched over doom scrolling position can all contribute to pain between the shoulders. When you round your shoulders forward and hunch, the muscles in the shoulders overstretch and begin to experience pain. In addition to poor posture, heavy lifting, poor exercise form, and long periods of sitting at a desk can lead to pain between the shoulders. So what do you do to counter these bad habits? Firstly, you need to focus on your posture.Â
Places To Prioritize Posture
Posture and balance is involved in every aspect of life, but you cannot correct poor posture without knowing where imbalances exist. Most people are unaware that they create their own imbalances! Correcting these imbalances and practicing good posture can help establish better balance and reduce your risk of shoulder pain. The places to check your posture are as follows:
- Sitting at your desk
- Standing up straight
- Driving your car
- Eating
- Scrolling on your phone
- Lifting a heavy object
What Does Poor Posture Look And Feel Like?
If you slouch, your posture is suffering. If you sit down to work at a desk, check in to see if you’re holding your head up straight. When you keep your back straight, you open your chest and prevent slouching. By focusing on your body language, you can actually feel the difference. In addition to maintaining correct posture, though, you can also counteract slouching by engaging in the following yoga poses. While these yoga poses will not reverse bad posture, they can help relieve tension between the shoulders.Â
Fish Pose
This pose aims to stretch out your entire upper body, but it also works to improve neck and upper back strength. By strengthening these muscles, you may help reduce pain in between the shoulders. Lie down on your back with your legs extended and arms by your sides. Lift your pelvis off the ground a bit to place both hands under your butt. Lower your pelvis back down and raise your chest on an inhale. Raise your chest upwards and bend your elbows to prop yourself up. Allow your head to fall back and rest on the ground, but stop if you experience neck pain. You can also place a bolster or pillow along your spine to modify this to a supported fish pose. Rest in the stretch for about 30 seconds and then return to the starting position.
Cobra Pose
Cobra pose is one of those poses that works to stretch your chest, shoulders, and abdominal muscles. Be mindful to not over-arch as you raise up your upper torso during this yoga pose. Lie flat on your stomach, bend your arms, and place your elbows on the ground right near your rib cage. Keep your forearms flat on the ground facing forward. Drop your shoulders and widen them as you press through your forearms to lift your upper body off the ground. Make sure that you squeeze your glutes and lower back muscles to keep yourself off the ground. Feel your chest open and hold this pose for 20 seconds before returning to the starting position.
Locust Pose
Out of the three poses in this article, this one may help you the most. Locust pose helps to both strengthen and align your shoulders, so practice this one more frequently to reduce tension between the shoulders. Lie flat on your stomach with your arms by your side and forehead touching the ground. You can turn your head to one side if your forehead touching the ground bothers you. Engage your glutes, core, and back muscles to lift your head, chest, arms, and legs off the ground. Keep your legs straight behind you and arms by your side. If that is too difficult, try to just lift your legs off the ground to start. Whatever position you choose, make sure that you do not strain your neck. Hold for about three seconds and then return to the ground. Complete a few more times for the best results.
