INTENSE SHOULDERS
Exercises to reduce stress in the shoulders, chest and neck.
Plus exercises for rotator cuff injuries.

The physical cornerstone of anxiety is tension in the shoulders. The muscles in the area shorten and tighten, often chronically so. As we get older, we have problems, especially with the rotator cuff. Shoulder tension also tightens our breathing, to the detriment of our health while neck nerve impingement can make our lives miserable. ​
Learning to release shoulder tension is essential for our mental and physical well being.
Background understanding comes from anatomy: When you look at the standing human structure you will notice something intriguing about the arms. The entire arm structure actually hangs on top of the skeleton like a sweater draped on top of your torso. It's the only part of the body that functions like that. Everything else is an indispensable element of our in line structure (head, neck, torso, legs, feet - all in line). But the arms just hang off the body. That arm structure is known as the shoulder girdle.
  • The shoulder girdle is a complex skeletal structure that includes the entire arm plus the clavicle in the front (collarbone) plus the scapula in the back (shoulder blade). The whole thing is anchored at the sternum in front (breastbone) where the clavicle connects at the sternoclavicular joint. In essence the arm is connected to the body at this very joint. It is an important spot. There's one joint on the left and one on the right. If you place your hand on top of the bump at the end of one of your collarbones and then move the same shoulder up and down, you can feel the pivotal motion in that joint that the collarbone makes. If you make a small circle with that shoulder, you can feel the subtle but essential movement in this crucial joint.
  • Think of the shoulder girdle like a set of football shoulder pads that you can lift up and off your body. Imagine with me now simply lifting your shoulders up and off. What would be left? In the upper body, just a torso with a head and neck on top. As you imagine this odd idea, sense how much tension would dissolve if the shoulder girdle just disappeared! (I am not advocating removing our arms, LOL. But it is helpful to understand just how much tension is involved in the shoulders themselves.)
  • When we use our shoulder we involve our spine: Move your shoulder up and down. You spine curves toward one side and then the other. Move your shoulder forward and back and the spine rotates one direction and then the other. Circle your shoulders and the upper spine gets a gentle yet thorough workout. An essential understanding is that tension in the shoulders affects the spine and can cause the spine to become misaligned. Interestingly movement of the arm requires no spine movement at all. Understanding this paradox is very helpful.​​ 

The shoulders are a center of tension for us.

The body's traditional reaction to stress: Whenever we are anxious, scared, tense, cold, tired, in pain or inactive the trapezius muscle that runs across the back of the shoulders and neck contracts, hiking the shoulders up to the ears. The back of the neck is included in the contraction contorting the natural curve of the neck and influencing the balance of the spine. Our rib cage in front reacts by tightening which in turn makes our breathing shallow.

The role of posture: When we are under duress the tightening of the shoulder area throws our posture out of alignment as our neck contorts pushing the head forward. Posture is also the main culprit involved in rotator cuff injuries, as you will see a bit further down in the article. One effective solution to shoulder stress is to keep drawing the head back to reverse the warping of the spine that stress causes.
Several things about the stress reaction are key:
  • The body responds to stress more than necessary. Even with stress reduction techniques, the tense reaction returns. We have to keep reminding ourself to reframe that reaction.
  • This type of tension is often deeply ingrained making it more difficult to release. Since our breathing is affected that type of tension becomes even harder to relax.
  • Inactivity produces the same physical reactions. As does extended computer usage. 

The natural stress reaction causes all the wrong responses. Ultimately we want to change the habit so that stress initiates a healthy reaction instead. Till then, it is a question of mind over matter.

Natural stress reaction:
  • Shoulders tighten up to your ears. 
  • Neck tightens and contorts.
  • Breathing shallows.
What we should be doing:
  • Bring your shoulder blades together and down.
  • Bring your head back.
  • Improve with breath work.

Rotator Cuff Injuries: One result of shoulder tension.

Try an experiment with me: Squeeze your shoulders up and then try to lift your arm up. Now relax and instead bring your shoulder blades together and down in back and again lift your arm up. The first attempt fails but the second is successful. This gives you a clue to one source of rotator cuff problems.

The upper arm bone is held into the shoulder by a system of 4 major muscles, 2 from the front and 2 from the back. This group of muscles is called the rotator cuff. We can injure any of these muscles and end up having a hard time using our arm overhead. This type of injury is so common.
Once I did a class survey on how many people had rotator cuff injuries and 85% of them did! If you have pain upon lifting your arm you are more than likely to have that problem too. Surgery is often a suggested treatment and may be necessary. But rehabilitative exercise is very easy and effective and should be tried first. One classic problem with this type of injury is that people constantly re-injure themselves. If your arm hurts when you go to lift it, stop lifting it. Find another solution. Each time you move your arm resulting in it hurting, you are re-injuring yourself.
Rotator Cuff Series to Rehabilitate Injury
  • Sit forward in your chair and bring both legs over to the left.
  • Tilt your straight spine forward and place your left hand on your right knee to stabilize yourself. Allow your right arm to dangle at your side. Sit so that you have enough room to gently and freely swing your right arm without hitting anything. 
  • Gently circle your right arm 4 times in each direction as it is hanging straight down.  Pretend it is a rag doll arm, totally relaxed. Use the least amount of effort you can. Make the circles smaller rather than larger.
  • Allow your arm to come to stillness.
  • Straighten the fingers of the right arm, tensing the muscles of the entire arm and then releasing. Repeat another 3 times.
  • Straighten your fingers, tense the arm and then twist your right palm forward and back 4 times to stretch the muscles surrounding the top of the shoulder. Reverse doing the entire series on the other side.

SEATED SHOULDER EXERCISE ROUTINE:

Do not attempt these exercises if you have shoulder problems unless you have permission from your medical care professional. As a beginner, attempt only a few of these at first.

Many of these exercises are stretches. Stretches should be held for at least 7 seconds, longer than many of us are used to. During that time, deepen your breathing.

All of these exercises are good to do by themselves. If you like you can pick the ones that feel the best and create your own routine. 
Release the Block of Tension
  • Squeeze and release: Squeeze your shoulders up and release them down. As you release, pretend your shoulders are ice cream cones melting. 4 repetitions.
  • Alternate shoulder squeeze: Squeeze one should up and the other down. Twist the palm of the lower arm forward and back 4 times. Reverse.
  • Shoulders forward and back: Stretch one shoulder forward as you bring the other shoulder back. Reverse. 4 repetitions.
  • Shoulder circle massage: Place your right hand on top of the area between your left shoulder and neck. Grab onto the big muscle and massage. As you clasp the muscle, circle the left shoulder. Keep holding hard with that hand. Circle going both directions.
Stretch the Upper Spine (Neck too)
  • Upper chest chair stretch: Tilt forward holding onto the back of the chair with your hands. Keep your spine straight with your head in line with your spine. You will feel a stretch on the front of the upper rib cage, under the collarbones and in the musculature that runs across the top of the shoulder to the neck. Take a deep breath. 
  • Chest stretch continued: Hold on one hand at a time, stretching over to the opposite side. Take a deep breath. As you are relaxed over to one side, let that arm gently circle as it hangs down. Circle going both directions.​
  • Neck side stretch: Sit upright, head back. Bring the right ear down toward the right shoulder. Have your face facing straight ahead. Hold onto the chair with your left hand. Feel a stretch across the top of the shoulder. Reverse.
Rest by bringing the shoulders forward, up, back and down and move into the upper chest chair stretch, tilting forward, holding onto the back of your chair with your hands. Breathe deeply.
Release Spinal Tension
  • ​​Atlas joint isolation: Take your hands and place them around your head and under your chin, in essence, "holding" your head. Pretend that your head is a ball and your hands are a saucer. Roll the ball around the saucer. Circle 4 times each direction. Make the circles small, slow and as perfectly formed as you can. Immediately after, do the neck twist stretch.
Reverse Twists for the Neck/Chest
  • Neck twist: Bring the head back, turn to the right and breathe. For support place your left hand on the outside of your right thigh with your right hand placed on your left wrist. Breathe deeply. Reverse.
  • Reverse Twist 1: Bring your right shoulder forward, the left back. Place your right hand on the outside of your left thigh and pull it gently toward the right. Place your left hand on the seat behind you. Turn your head to the right. Take a deep breath. Take the exercise a step farther by straightening the left arm at your side and turning the palm forward and back. Reverse sides.
  • Reverse Twist 2: Reach the right arm outward back and to the right. Turn the head to the left as you reach. Use your left hand on your left knee for support. Reverse.
Anytime
  • Circle your shoulders: Alternate by circling one and then the other, moving the shoulder forward, up, back and down. Use this movement to iron out any shoulder or neck kinks.
  • Stretch through the shoulder joint: Sitting upright, feet flat on the floor, reach just your right arm out and then relax it. Then include your whole body in it as you again reach your right arm out so far that it pulls you forward, stretching through the shoulder joint. Stretch through the shoulder joint in different directions, being careful not to re-stimulate the stress response.​
Rest by placing your right arm across your chest and holding it with the other. Reverse position.

Some fantastic standing exercises:

  • Use a door jamb to stretch the shoulders: Stand in an open doorway. Place both arms against the door frame with the elbows straight out to the side and bent at a 90 degree angle, hands resting on the door frame. Step forward with one foot and feel the stretch in your shoulders and chest. Hold for 30 seconds.
  • Clasp your hands behind your back: Bring your shoulders forward, up, back and down. Without releasing, clasp your hands behind your back and try to straighten your elbows.

The role of breath work, with one way to deepen the breath:

The Curled Tongue Breath to release tension in the rib cage: Many people cannot curl their tongue. If you are one of those, substitute using the 5-5-7 breath that reduces anxiety, or for that matter, any other breath exercise.

​Possible resting positions for this practice:​
  • While seated, hug a large pillow. This is a wonderful resting position, especially for those who suffer from upper spine stress. When in position, practice deepening the breath, particularly into chronically tight regions.
  • When tilted forward from an upright seated position, hold onto the back of the chair as the band of muscle across the collarbones and upper rib cage stretch. Practice deep breathing at the fullest extent of the stretch.
  • Again when tilted forward, this time with elbows on knees, spine straight with the head in line with the spine. As you exhale think of lengthening the spine out through the top of the head.
  • Stand facing the wall and leaning against it with both arms stretched out upward. This is an excellent position to practice breath deepening with the Curled Tongue Breath.

An excellent mantra for dealing with stress is to remind yourself to bring your head back, with your chin gently tucked. This simple move signals a reverse of the typical stress reaction. It is not only better for your health, it is better for your mental attitude too.

Other articles on stress reduction:
​
Stressful Times: Remedies for pandemic induced stress.
Dancing With the Face: Release facial tension.
Published December 31, 2020.