Shoulder Vectors

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Shoulder Vectors

This exercise retrains your brain to coordinate the muscles involved with shoulder movement. Incorrect coordination during shoulder movement can lead to impingement, mid back pain, neck pain. Perform 3 sets of 10

(1)Begin standing upright with you feet shoulder width apart, toes forward. Stand with your shoulders back and down.

*Do NOT allow your shoulder to shrug. Shoulder shrugging is a compensation by the muscles stabilizing the shoulder from above when the muscles below the shoulder are functionally weak.

(2)Next step out to the side as you swing your arm to the side and overhead (blue arrow). Swing your arm freely, while NOT shrug your shoulder, and then return to neutral (#1).

(3)Next step diagonally forward while swinging your arm freely in the same direction (blue arrow). Try to keep your shoulders squared forward (red line). Again the foot of your back leg should remain facing forward. Then return to neutral.

(4)This time step straight forward and swinging your arm forward (blue arrow). Your shoulders should continue to face forward. Then return to neutral.

(5)Next step forward diagonally toward the opposite side (blue arrow). Try to keep your shoulders facing as forward as possible, but do not let them rotate further than is depicted by the RED line. Then return to neutral.

(6)Finally step and swing your arm across to the opposite side (blue arrow). Again don’t rotate further than depicted (red line).