Many people with Parkinson’s complain of shoulder pain in addition to their stooped posture. It may seem like these are two different problems, but your shoulder pain may be just a symptom of dysfunction of the upper back and shoulder blade relationship. If this dysfunction is ignored for too long, it can result in a rotator cuff tear.
Your shoulder blades should “glide and float” on your rib cage. If you have a stooped posture, your shoulder blades can’t sit or glide normally on the ribs. Your chest muscles become tight and pull the shoulders and arm forward, creating shoulder pain and complications with the rotator cuff muscles.
Watch this video to find out how you can treat Parkinson’s stooped posture and pain with a resistance band and get your shoulder blades gliding again:
The muscles of the upper back, along with the shoulder blade action, are very important to posture and the stabilization of the shoulder. Poor posture associated with Parkinson’s disease often creates tight chest muscles and weak back muscles, which affects this delicate balance.
This Parkinson’s shoulder exercise activates your upper back muscles and will help you improve your posture and relieve your shoulder pain.
- Start standing (or sitting) up straight with your best posture. Bend your elbows at 90 degrees and pretend you’re holding a dollar bill between your elbows and your sides.
- With your palms facing upward and thumbs pointed out, grasp the middle of the band a little narrower than shoulder width apart, with slight tension in the band.
- With palms still up and thumbs pointing outward, exhale and gently stretch the band by pulling your hands apart from each other.
- Stop at about 30 degrees and hold for a moment, then continue by “gliding” your shoulder blades towards each other or towards your spine. Do not squeeze your shoulder blades. Hold for a moment.
- Return to the starting position.
Note: Always stop the exercise if it increases your pain. You can adjust the exercise by using a lighter band or decreasing your range of motion. Keep exercises as pain-free as possible. Build up to three sets of 10 repetitions.
This is just one of many exercises to help your posture and shoulder pain. Keep watching for more exercises on this topic to follow!
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💜 Coach Kimberly
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