Left Shoulder Imbalance and Pain

[phatphit]

ok weird but my left shoulder doesnt stay down or in the socket like my right one does. naturally wants to rise up when i press which causes pain often. What can i do to remedy this if possible?

[studhammer]

Shoulders are nothing to mess with. Go see a good sports medicine ortho and get evaluated

[FlatsFarmer]

Here is shoulder flexion and extensions

Here is Bret Contreas showing shoulder in flexion(bad) and extension (good).

These are good Shoulder extension

This is the stretch we used to do in middle school

But because of this stuff, that position is tough

And it looks bad, like this

To get the shoulder stable, you have to restore extension

To improve flexibility, stretch whats tight. Here is Dr Spina.

This guy has a band

Also, Lats

[FlatsFarmer]

Then, fire up the muscles that get your shoulder into the good, extended position. Grab some light dumbbells, let them hang until your shoulders feel symmetrical, then pull them back, and hold for a 3 count. If it hurts, stop, adjust your position, and try again.

A different angle

Or

Just let them hang, pull them back, and hold briefly. Then, relax, reset and repeat. At first, you may notice your bad arm doesn’t line up like the good one. Maybe your shoulder is shrugged, or your body is twisted. Or one arm will not straighten, or your wrist is cocked, or you have a weird grip on the dumbbell. Use the brief hold to figure out how to get symmetrical.

Here is Dr Spina again. Notice how straight and lined up everything is. That’s good.

This is bad. This dudes shoulders are still in flexion, and his arms can’t straighten out. When he tries to press, he will have problems.

Once you figure out how to restore your shoulder extension and position, you can practice in Press style. Let the dumbbells hang down, get symmetrical and even. Make sure your body isn’t twisted or leaning one way, or doing anything silly. Then kick the dumbbells up to “bottom position” and hold for a 3 count. If it hurts, back off, drop them, improve your position, and try again. Do a few “reps” to figure it out.

Then, your when shoulder is locked in and pain free, press away.

You can also do this before barbell pressing. But for it to work, elbows and wrists have to be straight, and grip must be tight, like when you press. You have to learn how to get everything working together.

If you use bad grip or wrist position, it will not work.