You can associate the Foam Roller with recovery, but it can also be used during your workouts to strengthen your muscles. Foam rollers are frequently used to loosen the hips, thighs, and calves, but the shoulders also benefit from these polyethylene foam cylinders that you find in different sizes.
Use a Foam Roller for your shoulder to improve range of motion and relieve pain and tension. Several simple exercises take only a few minutes, but they will make a big difference to your function and posture.
4 exercises with Foam Roller to soothe shoulder pain
Rotator cuff twist
The rotator cuff is a common site of pain and tightness. The supraspinatus, teres minor, infraspinatus, and subscapularis are the muscles that make up this complex part of your anatomy. These muscles come together easily and are a source of discomfort and a compromised range of motion. You can even feel the effects of a tight rotator cuff on other associated muscles, including the upper spine, neck, and wrist.
Use a textured foam roller , known as a vibrating roller, to get the exercise into this complex area.
- Lie on your side and place the foam roller just below the armpit area at the base of your upper back.
- Roll your torso back about 45 degrees to direct your chest more toward the ceiling.
- Keep the roller steady as you move your torso from right to left on the roller in a side-to-side motion. Do this for 10 to 20 seconds.
- Change your motion to roll up and back a few inches; movement is concentrated on the back of the scapula or shoulder blade. Do this for 10-20 seconds.
- Release and shake your arm around your shoulder to relieve the trigger point.
Anterior chest and deltoid massage
Use a medicine or therapy ball as an alternative to a foam roller for the anterior delts and chest. The ball provides a slightly deeper feel as it adapts better to these muscles, but a foam roller will work as well.
- Lie face down on the floor and place the foam roller under the front of your shoulder.The roller should align vertically with your torso.
- Let your weight give in on the roller as it moves to the right and left to massage the entire front of the shoulder and chest; you could even lower your biceps for additional release. Keep rolling for 60 seconds.
- Always do both sides to stretch evenly.
Foam Roller push-ups
Foam rollers can also be an amazing strength tool. Use them as you would any type of sloping, unstable surface to increase the need for your abs to contract and intensify the work on the front of your shoulders. For this move, use two short foam rollers or one long one.
- Place the foam rollers parallel to each other in front of you. They should look vertically and be slightly wider than the shoulders. Alternatively, use a long rolling pin and position it perpendicular to your chest.
- From a position on all fours, place one hand on each roller. Press down on the rollers, contract your abs, and extend your legs behind you in a push-up position. If you are using a roller, place both hands on the roller at shoulder distance as you reach out onto a board.
- Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the level of the rollers. Extend the elbow joint to return to the top. Prevents the rollers from moving; part of the exercise is controlling the unwieldy nature of the material.
Stretching of threading the needle
The back of the shoulders benefits from this stretch. This movement helps you to be more mobile in the posterior delts, as well as in the thoracic or upper middle spine.
- Get into a four-legged position and lean your buttocks back to sit on your heels, just as you would in the baby position after yoga. Place a foam roller parallel to your right side. Make it look vertically in line with your trunk.
- Pass your left arm under your torso and right armpit. Rest your left forearm on the foam roller. Turn your left ear toward the ground. Bring your right arm past your ear, but keep it connected to the ground.
- Hold the stretch for 10 to 20 seconds or rotate your arm back and forth on the roller for a better feel.
