Experts Explain Why You Need To Include Shoulder Mobility Exercises Into Your Warm-up Routine

It’s easy to take shoulder mobility for granted. After all, when the shoulder is functioning properly, it can help to do everything from running comfortably to lifting weights. But, when shoulder mobility is inhibited, you might encounter challenges performing activities you once did with ease.

“The shoulder is the most mobile major joint in the body and, therefore, the body really relies on it to function optimally,” said Brian Lee, M.D., elbow and shoulder specialist at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, Calif., and orthopedic consultant for the PGA Tour.

Shoulder mobility is so important that experts say you should consider adding shoulder mobility exercises to your regular warm-up routine. But why are these shoulder mobility exercises so important? Here’s what you need to know.

To understand shoulder mobility exercises, it’s important to first review the components of the all-important joint. Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint that has more range of motion than any other joint in your body, according to the Cleveland Clinic. There are eight muscles in the shoulder that support your shoulder joint, also known as the glenohumeral joint.

The muscles in your shoulder are attached to the bones of your shoulder through tendons, Lee said.

The most important muscles in your shoulder are your rotator cuff muscles, according to the Cleveland Clinic. They help to raise and rotate your arms and provide structural support to your shoulder joint. Other muscles that support your shoulder include the following:

Shoulder mobility is “really critical,” said Allison Brown, Ph.D., D.P.T., and an assistant professor of physical therapy at the Rutgers School of Health Professions. “Your shoulder joint is designed to be mobile,” she said.

If you play a sport that requires you to rely on your shoulders regularly, like swimming, volleyball, tennis, or baseball, you need “lots of mobility to position your arm where you need it,” Brown said.

(Related: All the Positions on the Volleyball Court, Explained)

Without good shoulder mobility, you could end up with subpar performance, she said.

But, shoulder mobility is more important than enabling higher performance — a lack of shoulder mobility also increases your risk of injury, Lee said.

“With any joint in the body and particularly with the shoulder, it’s important to keep the range of motion functioning because you can not only cause or predispose yourself to injury in that joint, if you don’t have full mobility, it can impact neighboring joints like the neck and elbow,” he said.

Not having good shoulder mobility “is setting yourself up for rotator cuff tears as well,” Brown said. She noted that impingement, which is inflammation that happens when a tendon rubs on the shoulder blade, can also be an issue.

Shoulder mobility exercises generally focus on two major movements: Your shoulder’s rotation, and opening and closing of the joint, Brown said. She and Lee recommend adding the following to your regular warm-ups:

If you develop shoulder mobility issues or have pain when you’re using your shoulder, Lee said she recommends having it evaluated. And, if you have a loss of motion that comes on quickly, it’s important to get it checked out sooner rather than later, as it could be a sign of a rotator cuff tear or other injury, he said.

Words by Korin Miller