Telescope Arms

Improve shoulder mobility to help reduce neck and shoulder pain with this great scapula, or shoulder blade, mobility exercise!

Shoulder blade mobility is important for more and easier movement of the arms and shoulders. Immobile shoulder blades can cause clicking or sticking shoulders and they can cause pain in the neck, shoulders, and upper back. This exercise helps get those shoulder blades moving!

The most difficult and important part of this exercise is moving from the shoulder blade, instead of moving from the arm. It often takes clients patience and practice to find the difference and really feel the isolation. Remember these tips to help with this and the exercise overall:

  • Go slow.
  • Imagine your arm is dead weight, or asleep, and you can’t move it. So you have to move your shoulder around instead.
  • Keep the rib cage and hips perfectly still.
  • Keep the shoulder down away from your ear.
  • Your shoulder should feel like it is moving before your arm. This is usually easier going one way than the other.
  • Be patient. If you don’t feel like you get it at first, try again. Maybe try closing your eyes and feeling your shoulder bone move. Bone mobility is a lot about slow, precise movement concentrating on how it feels inside, rather than outside.
  • Remember, if you are stiff in your shoulder blades, they might not move very much at first. The more you practice the more they will move. One shoulder might move easier than the other. That is ok. Just keep being patient and practicing!

Go ahead and try it for yourself!

Looking for more shoulder mobility exercises? Schedule your free 90 minute consultation. Or call 651-895-0774.

 

 

This blog was contributed by our Pilates guru, Kaethe Birkner. Kaethe is a certified Pilates instructor through Balanced Body and dances ballet professionally at Continental Ballet Company. She has been teaching Pilates since 2012 and has been taking Pilates since 2004.