Upper Back and Rotator Cuff Work

By Bruce Cohn
Boston Globe, February 2005
 
Whether working at a desk, watching television or shoveling snow, many of our daily winter activities involve forward movement of the shoulder. The same is true of the exercises people do (think bench press or pushups) as part of their New Year’s fitness resolution. The result often is forward-rounded posture, known as shoulder protraction, which causes pain and discomfort in the upper back and shoulders.

There are a number of exercises which you can perform at home that can help strengthen the posterior muscles of your upper back and shoulder complex while gently stretching your anterior chest musculature. They are designed to improve this forward- rounded shoulder posture and can be helpful in the treatment of shoulder girdle dysfunction, thoracic outlet syndrome and general upper back deconditioning.

Because these exercises require little or no weighted resistance your investment in equipment will be low and you may practice them daily. Any of the materials described in the following section may be purchased at a sporting goods store or online (for a link to web sites visit www.fit-to-go.net.). Each of the exercises should be performed for 3 sets of the indicated number of repetitions but may be done in separate sessions during the day.

Scapular (Shoulder Blade) Retraction:
Begin with this simple exercise best done in front of a mirror. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent and chin aligned over your sternum (breastbone). Raise your arms to the side keeping your elbows bent and parallel to your chest wall. (If this position causes you shoulder pain, lower your arms but realize that you already have some shoulder impingement and need to practice this exercise.) Draw your shoulder blades in towards one another and hold for a three count. Your elbows and shoulders should move back and your chest will stick out. Repeat for 15-20 repetitions.

Prone Scapular Stabilization:
Lie on your stomach with your forehead resting on a rolled-up towel. Extend your arms out to the side so that they are parallel with your shoulders. Keep your elbows straight as you raise them off the floor. You may use 1-3 lb. dumbbells or soup cans for resistance as you perform 15 repetitions of this exercise.

Prone Flexion:
Staying in the same position as the previous exercise, extend your arms forward so that they are resting on the floor above your head. Holding your weights and keeping the elbows straight, raise and lower both arms for 15 repetitions.

Chest Pull with Resistance Band or Tubing:
Sit or stand with feet shoulder-width apart and loop the band or tubing over each hand. Extend your arms straight out in front with palms facing down and stretch the band or tubing across your chest. Return the band/tubing to the start position and repeat for 15-20 repetitions.

Wall Pushup:
Stand arms-length from a wall with both hands resting on the wall at shoulder height and width. Keeping your feet in place, slowly move your body forward until your chin touches the wall. Push your body back to the starting position and repeat this movement for 12-15 repetitions. You may increase the difficulty of this exercise by holding a stability ball against the wall at the height of your head as you perform wall pushups. In order to keep your arms straight as you press the ball against the wall you will have to move your feet farther away from the wall.

Stability Ball Walkout:
Lie face-down on a stability ball so that your hips and pelvis are resting on the ball and your feet are elevated. Your hands are on the floor under your shoulders in a pushup position. Walk or roll out on your hands until the insteps of your feet are resting against the back of the stability ball. Walk back to your starting position and repeat for 10-12 repetitions.

Standing Shoulder External/Internal Rotation:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and raise your upper arms so that they are parallel to the floor with your elbows bent at right angles. Gently rotate the arms then downwards as far as you can without experiencing pain. Repeat for 15-20 repetitions.

Side-Lying Resisted External Rotation:
Lie on your left side on the floor with your right elbow resting against your side and holding a light weight (1-3 lb. dumbbell or a soup can). Raise your right arm toward the ceiling keeping your elbow in and at your side. Raise and lower for 15 repetitions then turn over and repeat for your left arm.

Side-Lying Resisted Internal Rotation:
You will need to lie on a table or the edge of your bed to perform this exercise. Lie on your right side with your right elbow bent and resting against your side. Your right arm is off the table or bed and holding a light weight. Bring the arm up towards your body and lower for 15 repetitions. Turn over and repeat on your left side.

Child Stretch:
Finish your upper back/shoulder complex workout with a nice stretch. Come to a table top position with your hands under the shoulders and knees underneath the hips. As you push your hips back towards your heels, keep both hands in place on the floor and allow the arms to stretch over the head. If you can, rest the buttocks on the heels and the forehead on the floor. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds.

Bruce Cohn is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Middlesex School in Concord. He runs FIT-TO-GO Total Sports Conditioning and is a nationally certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Bruce can be reached at 781-316-0061 or brucegym@rcn.com.