Shoulder positioning and posture!

[serpentide]

Hi Coach, SLizz and other moderators and members.

For about 2 and half months now i have been recovering from a shoulder injury which was done on the 'peck deck' due to the weight being to heavy and me generally training stupidly! but i later found out that injury to my shoulder was inevitable due to poor posture, too much chest work and not enough pulling and back exercises to equalize, not warming up properly etc.

For the last 3 weeks I have been seeing a PT and a chiropractor and i also have a shoulder rehab and strengthening routine (which is working amazingly!)I was lucky because it wasn't a rotator cuff tear but the main problem was my right shoulder was an inch higher than my left due to involuntary tension in the right side of my neck. This has led me to a very stiff neck and shortened tendons and muscle fibers. This lead to serious impingement and a huge lack of flexibility! I would be pulling or pushing using my neck muscles whenever my right arm was being used instead of relaxing and trying to isolate the action through my shoulder e.g lateral and front shoulder raise, pull ups etc. my shoulder got used to being lifted permanently with tension through the right side of my neck permanently. With that, we also found it was more forward than my left by about an inch because like said, i was doing to much pushing work and not enough pulling, also slouching at my computer, at the table eating and even hanging my head and staring at my feet when i walked!

The last 3 weeks has been a serious learning curve for me and a wake up call!..luckily i'm still young (27) and my body is responding well to the releasing of my neck and scapula muscles. I now warm up my shoulders thoroughly for about 20 minutes before doing rehab. i have corrected my posture greatly (it's not perfect yet). I stand up straight with shoulders back and lumbar in (abs activated so not to lead to lordosis.) head up and looking forwards.

The end of the first week i had serious stiffness in the morning across my chest and collar bone because i had spent the day before keeping my shoulders back and stretching my chest regularly along with shoulder rehab and heat and ice packs. Since then i am progressing nicely but i do have some concerning questions that i think Coach and Slizz can answer (you guys have proven in other forums that you have extensive knowledge on shoulders)

1. Obviously during rehab i am trying to keep my shoulders down and back. Is there such a thing as pushing too far down or will the body not let you push past a certain point and if that is correct, is that where the shoulder should be positioned??..when it can't go any further? At the moment when i push my right shoulder down and do the ROM exercises i am getting a stretch in the neck and pain in the shoulder. If i straighten my arm out i can feel a huge tendon and muscle stretch all the way to my fingertips! slowly easing off as i progress.

2. whether this unrelated i don't know but i shall mention it anyway. I have a horrible pain in my right shoulder whenever i perform a pushing movement, especially when i push away from my side. typical movements are a push up (arms shoulder width and elbows tucked in). Pain doesn't come on so much when i do a push up with hands wider than shoulders. And the other movement is pushing away from my side making my body into a "T" shape. Also the same pain comes from lateral raise - thumbs up! but fades out after a couple of reps with a 3pound weight.

I'm guessing this is a seperate injury which has come on due to bad shoulder positioning and the bad training. But any input on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

3. simple one, what is the ideal weekly workout program in regards to days per week and how many recovery and rest days??

after my shoulder has got back to normal (hopefully) i am planning "monday - pulling, tuesday - pushing, wednesday legs and shoulders, thursday - swimming or beach run and friday - rehab, stretches and foam roller, sat and sun -rest

would like to hear you view on this shedule.

Thanks for your time and look forward to your reply

[Cole Dano]

1) Yes it is always possible to go to far with any postural correction. There is a natural place for the scapula to sit. However if you are trying to create a change, very often in the beginning stages one will over correct. As the symptoms start to dissipate look for a more natural position.

2) Don't do the movements that cause pain. There are a number of posts that both Slizz, others, and myself have made on this and related issues, dig around a bit for them and come back with more questions from there.