Our shoulder joint is a very mobile-yet-complex joint in our body which combines both moving joints and muscles to allow the shoulder the most movement in the entire body.

Medically, our shoulders are a type of ball-and-socket joint called the glenohumeral joint where there humeral (long bone of the upper arm, the ball part) rests in the glenoid fossa of the scapula (the socket part). It allows a lot of rolling and gliding movements which also allows us to reach

• above our head
• behind our back
• out to the side of our bodies

It’s really mobile, and that’s precisely why it has complex structures to provide stability-with-movement. That’s why, if you have ever had shoulder pain and resulting shoulder stiffness, you’d realize how annoying, frustating and inconvenient that is, causing difficulties with

• wearing or taking off clothing such as pants, socks or even bra
• wiping your hair or back
• scratching your back
• etc

3 things you can do to help your stiff shoulder:

Massage the back of your shoulder

Often because of work, posture and lifestyle, it may cause the soft tissues at the back of our muscles to become shortened and tight. These muscles are the latissumus dorsi, infraspinatus and teres minor.

This can cause tightness and blocking in your shoulder movement (sometimes it can cause discomfort and pain even). Try this:

1. Use a heat pack (microwave or electric) or a hot towel and rest it around your shoulders and neck for 5 minutes (be careful to not burn yourself)
2. Then, massage the back of your shoulder (you can use a massage ball or a foam roller or your fingers too)
3. If you prefer, you can use a pain relief lotion or cream to help as well
4. Continue to massage to the back of the armpit area and if you find any painful or tender spots, massage those spots a little more / longer (note: some tenderness is okay but dont let it become sharp pain
5. After about all in 15+ or so minutes, move your shoulders and see if your shoulder movement is better or smoother. If it is then it is worthwhile trying this technique for several weeks.

Stretch the middle back

This exercise works well using a “duoball” to hit the spot. A do-it-yourself version you can try is to tape two tennis balls together and wrap them side-by-side (sort of like a figure-8).

1. place the duoball or tennis balls on the floor or against the wall
2. get them between your shoulder blades in the mid-back area
3. apply some pressure (you can even “roll” a little)
4. this should induce a massaging, sore-ish pain
5. repeat 2-5 minutes, moving around to cover all the tight spots
6. test your shoulder movement to check for improvement

Stretch your lats

Some patients get a tightness or shortening of the muscle that runs under the shoulder (latissimus dorsi) that can decrease movement and even cause discomfort and pain.

Try this:

1. Stand facing a wall.
2. Place your forearms on the wall in front of you, elbow to wrists touching the wall.
3. Both wrists and elbows touching each other
4. Keep your back flat and don’t lean towards the wall
5. Slowly slide your forearms up the wall, but keep your elbow and wrists together in front of you on the wall.
6. When you cannot slide up anymore, stop and hold this position, breathing slowly and relaxed.
7. It should feel strong but not painful when you hold it.
8. Hold the stretch for around 60 seconds then relax back down.

You can use an exercise slide mat as well, but the wall works fine =)

Safety is important: always ensure

• no additional/increasing amounts of pain (especially sharp pain)
• always go slow, gradual and gently
• if the problem does not go away (or worsens) after about 7-10 days, then consider seeking advice and full assessment with a senior physiotherapist

Where To Next?

• Go to Home / Start
• Learn and find out more about your pains (bones, muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, nerves etc) at Pain Conditions & Injuries
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