Shannon's mobility tip of the week: Shoulders

Apr 13, 2024

 by Shannon Seath Meyer

Overhead Scapular Mobilization

Lying on your back, with a slight tilt in the pelvis, position the ball into the tissue of your upper trapezius between your shoulder blade and your spine. Drive your hips up into a bridge to create additional pressure.  Reach over your head with the same side arm, elbow locked out, inhale.  Next, exhale and draw your arm across your body to touch the opposite thigh. Repeat 2-3x.  Move the ball down your back, still between shoulder blade and spine, searching for tender spots and repeat.  Change sides and repeat the sequence again.

Shoulder Rotator Smash and Floss

Lying on your back, place the ball in the muscles right where your arm joins your body, near your armpit.  Bend your arm at a 90 degree angle and rotate it towards the ground, palm first as far as you can.  Now rotate the other way with your palm toward the ceiling as far as you can.  To increase the pressure you can roll over onto your side.  Contract and relax the tissues using the other arm to resist the motion or simply smash and floss this tissue into the ball.  Breathe.  Spend 1-2 minutes here.  Repeat on the other side.