A shoulder labrum tear can be painful when moving your arm, and may feel unstable or slipperier when doing so. A SLAP tear occurs from the front to back cartilage in your shoulder socket; Bankart lesions occur more commonly among younger people who dislocate their shoulder.
1. Dumbbell Overhead Shoulder Extension
The dumbbell overhead shoulder extension is an exercise designed to strengthen not only the triceps muscle, but also surrounding shoulder and core muscles. However, incorrect execution of this movement may irritate the shoulder joint; while people might try pushing through pain when training despite minor injuries to their shoulders can often make matters worse as movement in this joint is highly mobile and any injury to it can quickly become debilitating if left unaddressed.
If overhead triceps extensions cause shoulder discomfort, there are alternative exercises you can perform that may help strengthen and stretch out your triceps while increasing shoulder stability. Compound exercises like seated/split-stance landmine presses, close-grip bench press, and dips may offer similar training stimulus without lifting weight overhead.
For this movement while sitting, position one dumbbell in front of you with its interior plate surface positioned with both hands (a heart-shaped grip). Stiffen your torso by contracting abdominal/core muscles while depressing and retracting scapulae (shoulders down and back), maintaining these positions throughout the movement. Slowly lower it behind your head by flexing elbows at its lowest point to avoid hitting back of neck before driving it back overhead by extending elbows again.
The laying down variation of the dumbbell overhead triceps extension can be performed on a bench, stability ball, or an incline. Begin by lying flat on a bench with your arms extended above your head – make sure your ribs are pulled down and engaged as you extend and then retract each arm straight up above it before gradually bending elbows to lower it behind your head.
2. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
The shoulder press is an integral component of any upper body lifting routine. By strengthening front deltoids from multiple angles, this exercise builds the front deltoids for everyday function as well as training them for other exercises such as bench presses and pull-ups which require greater overall strength. Strong shoulders also reduce risk by protecting against common joint weaknesses or imbalances that lead to injuries.
However, when not performed correctly, the dumbbell shoulder press can lead to various health complications including impingement syndrome, rotator cuff strains and tendonitis as well as tendonitis. A common error when performing this movement is slamming together both dumbbells at the end of each movement – this puts unnecessary strain on shoulders and upper back muscles as well as arching the lower back too much while pressing weight overhead; excessive arching places too much strain on shoulders as well as spine and hips.
Situated dumbbell shoulder presses may provide an effective alternative to barbell overhead presses for beginners or lifters with shoulder and lower back issues, such as those who struggle with stability issues in their lifting technique. Sitting requires less stability while offering greater range of motion than traditional standing military or Arnold presses.
Use of dumbbells enables you to better control the range of motion, address any balance issues between arms, and adjust grip size for targeting different muscle groups in shoulders. A seated dumbbell press may also serve as a great foundational exercise that leads to more advanced movements like single arm landmine presses or clean and presses; both of these exercises help strengthen shoulder and core strength.
If you’re already comfortable with the seated dumbbell shoulder press, take it one step further by exploring different versions of this exercise such as standing dumbbell military press which requires greater hip and core stabilization than its seated counterpart. For more advanced lifters, standing barbell military or Arnold press can provide an exciting challenge to build shoulder strength as well as identify any muscular imbalances.
3. Side-Lying Trio
Workouts designed to strengthen shoulders can often cause neck tension. One technique, commonly referred to as restorative yoga sequence ‘Parsva Savasana Bolster Shoulder Block Sirsa Eka Hasta or deep lateral stretch on a bolster with a block for the head, which targets both front and back shoulders without straining your neck is known as side-lying trio or deep lateral stretch on a bolster with block for head (sirsa Eka Hasta or deep lateral stretch on bolster with block), which targets front and back shoulders without placing pressure on neck or strain on neck; side lying position allows activation of rotator cuff muscles as well as strengthening of other back/shoulder related areas while decreasing risk of injury by protecting other parts of back/shoulder area while minimizing risks to other parts of back/shoulders as well as injury risks elsewhere on body such as back/shoulder/arm rotation should pull forward instead of out like this photo shows (and not out like this!). Note: shoulder blade should be pulled forward not out like this photo shows here (not out).
4. Prone Swimmers
Damage to the shoulder labrum often results from overuse or repetitive strain, such as throwing a ball or lifting heavy items, with minor or significant tears occurring as a result of overexposure to impact or repetitive use. Tears may cause discomfort as well as feelings that one’s shoulder is unstable; depending on its type and severity, nonsurgical treatment options for labral tears could include rest, pain management, physical therapy or injections as possible remedies.
Physical therapy allows you to work alongside an experienced physical therapist in the clinic to manage pain and improve arm movement. Your therapist may also recommend strengthening exercises for your shoulder joint and surrounding muscles for added support; such as rotational and shoulder-blade (scapular) strength-training exercises.
When exercising, your biceps tendon connects to the top of your labrum in your shoulder socket. With strong contractions of the biceps during workouts, strong pull from your labrum can cause it to detach itself from bone (a condition known as superior labromal ligament anterior to posterior or SLAP), often seen among swimmers performing repetitive overhead movements.
Shoulder rotator cuff strengthening exercises that involve moving through its full range of motion are crucial, but make sure you stop any exercise if it causes pain or instability in the shoulder joint. Your physical therapist may show you how to perform these exercises in a side-lying position so as to minimize bicep activity and alleviate stress on the labrum.
Your therapist can teach you to strengthen the core muscles and balance out forces on your shoulder by performing prone swimming exercises, which helps relieve strain off of an injured shoulder labrum and facilitate its healing.
5. Shoulder Rolls
Shoulder rolls can be an effective way to increase shoulder mobility, but improper execution may result in injury. Hunching back or extending neck forward while performing this movement may irritate soft tissues around the shoulder joint; to maximize effectiveness of shoulder rolls exercises use a neutral spine and tight core muscles when performing them.
Avoid placing too much strain on the shoulder joint by performing this move slowly with gentle pressure, making sure that neither your hands nor head lift off from the wall. As time progresses, gradually increase its intensity as your body adapts.
The humeral labrum plays an essential role in stabilising shoulder socket and protecting it against dislocations, subluxations and fractures of shoulder bones. Tears in this important ligament can occur as a result of falls on outstretched arms or contact sports like basketball and football as well as repetitive use movements especially if your shoulder is already weak.
Physical therapy is the ideal way to address labral tears. Gradually strengthening surrounding shoulder, arm and back muscles will help to offload the shoulder and relieve any associated pain while improving stability/mobility and ultimately helping the labrum heal itself. Physical therapy may also teach ways of adapting daily activities or work environments to minimize strain on the joint – improving performance as well as recovery timeframe. If you experience pain, stiffness or swelling in your shoulder area it would be wise to consult a doctor who may advise physical therapy as a solution in order to return quickly to regular activities sooner.
