Another nagging feeling in your shoulder and it drives you crazy? Then you are not alone. Everyone has problems with his or her shoulder(s) from time to time. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to reduce your shoulder pain. Did your shoulder complaints arise without trauma? Then here are 6 tips to get rid of your shoulder complaints.

Posture
I cannot say it often enough. Posture, pay attention to your posture. Whether you are sitting or standing it does not matter. Watch your posture. The most common wrong posture is leaning forward with your body. You often have this when you sit at the computer or when you spend a long time on your phone. When you have a wrong posture, the pressure will increase in your shoulder joint, which can put pressure on the tendons in your shoulder. If it's for a moment then it's not that bad, but if this plays for a long time it can cause inflammation or pinching. That's not nice. When you already have problems, then it is very important to take the pressure off your shoulder.

Go exercise
Your shoulders consist of a whole group of muscles that need to be used properly. This group is called the rotator cuff. The main functions of the rotator cuff muscles are to stabilize the shoulder and make rotations in the shoulder. When the rotator cuff muscles are untrained or weak, then the chances of your shoulder becoming unstable will also increase. As a result, the neck muscles will have to compensate, which can cause shoulder or neck complaints.

Don't forget the warming ups
Warming ups are incredibly important to prevent injuries. With a warming up you help your body to slowly get used to the coming load. Warming ups don't have to be complicated at all. Normally, a warming up consists of slow, gentle movements, muscle stretching and sport specific movements. Would you like to read more about a warm up? Then read "the importance of warming up"

Check your workplace
It may also be the case that you are doing your best, but that your workplace is very bad. Many complaints can arise from chairs or tables that are too high or low. So take a critical look at this or have it checked by a professional.                                                                                         Do not carry heavy backpacks Remember in high school. A backpack full of books. Which you had to carry from class to class every time. It was dramatic. Reading so many books is good for the brain, just carrying them all in a bag isn't a good idea. Because your backpack is so heavy, a lot of pressure will arise in the neck muscles. This puts pressure on the blood vessels and nerves, which can cause neck and shoulder complaints. So make sure you are carrying a light backpack.                                                                                                              Go see a professional 
Have you used all these tips and did it not help? No problem, there are several roads to Rome. And several ways to get rid of your shoulder complaints. You can go to the physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropractor and they can help you with this.    Questions, feedback or ideas for more medical related posts? Message me.   Kind regards,   Sascha Bargi BSc. Pt. & MSc. Ost. in training