Some body awareness for you to ponder this month.

When you think of your shoulders, what comes to mind?

Are they strong, do they hurt all the time, do you connect to your shoulder blades, do your traps feel like crap, is your neck sore, is your mid back stiff, do you have chronic rotator cuff issues?

If you said yes to any of these, or you have a friend or family member that could use some help, please share, and let's explore further.

Similar to your hip joint, it is important to take a look at how your arms move within your shoulder sockets, and whether or not your shoulder blades are coming along for the ride. What most people call the shoulder is actually several joints that combine with tendons and muscles to allow a wide range of motion in the arm.

The most common shoulder issues are:

-Tendon Inflammation (bursitis or tendonitis), or tendon tear

-Instability - Once the ligaments, tendons, and muscles around the shoulder become loose or torn, dislocations can occur. Recurring dislocations, partial or complete, cause pain and unsteadiness when you move your arm, and can lead to an increased risk of developing arthritis in the shoulder joint.

-Arthritis - Most common in the shoulder is osteoarthritis, wear and tear.

-Fracture (broken bone) - Most commonly either the clavicle/collarbone, or the not so funny humerus/upper arm bone.

-Shoulder Impingement - As the arm is lifted, the acromion (top of the shoulder blade) rub or impinges on the rotator cuff, tendons, and bursa. This can lead to bursitis or tendonitis, causing pain and limiting movement.

-Frozen Shoulder - capsulitis that causes pain, stiffness and loss of normal range of motion.

The best approach to any of these common issues is to take a look at the whole picture, to assess whether your arms are moving well with weight bearing and without, whether you can add load to range of motion in the shoulders. Mobility, strength, and stability combined to make the shoulder area function more optimally.

Contact me to book privates, small group sessions, or to get a custom home practice program.

Let's keep exploring movement together.

Namasté.

Natalie