Your shoulders are some of the most mobile joints in the human body. But with great mobility comes a great deal of instability, leaving them vulnerable to all sorts of injuries. The most common issue is what’s called “shoulder impingement,” says Jason Ryu, a physical therapist at Good Reps Physical Therapy in New York City. This occurs when a repetitive activity like swimming, sitting with a rounded back at your desk, or even sleeping awkwardly on your side causes tissue around the shoulder (like a tendon or muscle) to get pinched between the bony parts of the joint. And yes, it’s as excruciating as it sounds: Imagine a dagger-like pang at the front of your shoulder when you try to take off a hoodie or reach up to grab your bag in a plane.

Chronic shoulder impingement starts in your back. “It usually means there’s something going on with your shoulder blade,” says Ryu. These are the triangular bones (a.k.a. the scapula) on your back that—when working properly—rotate up and outward when you reach up to give someone a high-five. When the shoulder blade can’t do that, he explains, it’s unable to create enough space in the joint for your arm to move up without any pinching along the way.

The best way to mobilize your shoulder blades is with dynamic stretches that wake up the muscles around them, and Ryu swears by these three. Yes, they take up some space, and you can’t exactly do them at your desk, but they work. Aim to do them two times a day, every day, and you should feel some relief within two weeks.

Half-kneeling thoracic windmill

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  1. Kneel with your right side snug against a wall, and place your right foot on the floor so you’re in a marriage-proposal position. Keep your hips facing forward as you reach both arms straight out in front of you and place the back of your right hand against the wall.
  2. Reach your right arm forward and up the wall, gradually rotating it backward as you draw an arc. Once your arm is vertical, flip your palm to face the wall and allow your torso to rotate backward as you finish the arc.
  3. Go only as far in the arc as your shoulder can stretch without pain. When you reach that point, hold the position and take three deep breaths. Do five arcs, then repeat on the other side.

Floor angels

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  1. Lie on your back with your feet on the floor, knees up, and arms stretching straight out to either side. Lift your hands in the air while keeping the upper part of your arms on the floor, and make sure your elbows are bent to 90 degrees and aligned with your shoulders.
  2. Press your lower back onto the floor and keep it glued there throughout the stretch. Now that you’re in position, rotate your hands as far back and down toward the floor as you can while keeping the elbows bent. If you reach the floor, extend the elbows so that the arms reach straight overhead.
  3. Whether or not your forearms reach the floor, hold this position for 10 seconds before returning to your starting position. Do three sets of five reps.

P.S. Don’t want to lie down at work? You can also do this stretch standing against a wall.

The prone Y

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  1. Lie on your stomach on the floor with your legs straight. Place your forehead on the ground (or a rolled-up towel or blanket).
  2. Squeeze your butt and abs. Reach your arms in front of you in a “Y” shape with palms facing each other and elbows straight. Relax your head and lift your hands up until they’re parallel with the floor. Hold for 10 seconds. Do two sets of five reps.

P.S. This exercise also works against a wall. Make sure to hug your core to prevent arching in your back.


Videos courtesy Adele Jackson-Gibson