In this post we discuss why you shouldn’t stretch a tight shoulder and show you a different way to approach the issue.
A few weeks back a client came in with what he described as a shoulder that had ‘frozen up.’ He’d been swimming whilst on holiday which isn’t something he does regularly.
He was OK on the first day, but on the second he noticed that he’d lost power in his swimming stroke. That night the muscles around his shoulder began to tighten.
The intuitive response to this situation is to stretch or massage the muscles that feel tight.
The affected joint will often feel locked or ‘jammed up’ as he put it.
Treatments or approaches that promise to release or reduce tension in the muscular system obviously sound attractive.
Let’s go back to first principles to decide on the best course of action.
Why do muscles get tight?
Whilst the muscular system is primarily thought of as a creator of movement, it can also be used by your central nervous system to prevent it.
This is usually due to injury or overload.
As the client concerned hadn’t reported any trauma and the incident seemed directly related to an activity he hadn’t participated in for some time, I presumed it was the latter.
So here you have a situation where muscles are being used in an unaccustomed way for extended periods of time. Not just for one day, but two.
If you remember he noticed on the second day that he couldn’t swim as fast. This was probably an indication that some of the muscles involved had been overloaded.
As is natural he pushed on. Everybody does.
And then he couldn’t.
Why stretching or massaging a tight shoulder is a bad idea
Located between your ears is a super computer. I know on some mornings it doesn’t feel so super, but it’s way more advanced than anything the geeks in Silicone Valley can currently build.
More than 95% of the processing that occurs in your brain happens without your conscience awareness.
Whilst you’re thinking about making your next coffee, your brain is dealing with truly mind-boggling amounts of feedback.
In its wisdom it’s decided to increase tension in some of the muscles around your shoulder.
Is it a practical joke or an informed decision?
Probably the latter right?
And what’s our intuitive response to this?
Stick a spiky ball where it hurts.
How to release a tight shoulder without stretching
Although it may be difficult to believe when all you can feel is muscle tension, what your shoulder actually needs is more muscle tension.
This will allow those muscles holding on for dear life to let go.
The challenge is to find the muscles that have been overloaded and encourage them to get back to work.
Fortunately overloaded muscles leave a calling card, restrictions in range of motion.
In the video below I take you through a shoulder mobility assessment.
Use it to identify restrictions at your shoulder and follow the instructions to restore motion where you find it limited.
Needless to say I haven’t met you or your shoulder. If any of the movements cause you pain, stop and consult a medical professional.
Summary
When we feel tension in the muscular system our intuitive response is to address it directly with either stretching or massage.
A more effective approach is to look deeper for the underlying cause.
This leads to better results in the short term and also provides clues as to which muscles need strengthening for longer term change.