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Shoulder Health for Pickleball Players
3 Expert Tips to Maximize Health and Performance
The Dink Docs
July 13, 2023
Welcome to this week's edition of "The Healthy Pickler," the ultimate newsletter for pickleball players. Today, we will delve into the shoulder and give you five tips on how to optimize your shoulder. First, we need to understand a couple of things. The shoulder complex is known as the most mobile joint in the human body. Its anatomy is unique in that it functions as a ball and socket joint, but the socket portion is not too deep. Therefore, it requires assistance from bone, cartilage, ligaments, and muscles to stabilize the shoulder. We included 3 images below to illustrate this concept.
In this example, the gold ball represents the head of the arm bone, while the tee represents the glenoid rim, which is a small area of the scapula.
So now the question is, what are the steps to ensuring that I have healthy shoulders? While there is complexity in structuring a comprehensive plan, we want to provide you with a framework to focus on.
In every program, there needs to be a focus on mobility, strength, and what we call in our field “neuromuscular control” exercises. Let's dive into them one by one.
Why emphasize mobility? It's simple: the shoulder is meant to move. Here's how we like to explain it to our patients: If the shoulder is designed to move 180 degrees in one direction and suddenly we restrict its ability to do so, what do you think will happen? The shoulder will become tight, the surrounding tissues will develop scarring, and it will become irritable. Therefore, in any program, it is essential to include a mobility component. This is why patients who undergo surgery are at risk of developing frozen shoulders, as the lack of movement causes discomfort and pain.
Why emphasize strength? Well, mobility alone is not enough. Once we establish the proper range of motion, we need to ensure that the shoulder is adequately supported and stabilized. This is where strength comes into play. Strengthening the muscles around the shoulder joint, including the rotator cuff muscles and the surrounding muscle groups, helps maintain stability and prevent injuries.
Here is a picture of just some of the muscles around the shoulder that help provide stability.
Strong muscles not only provide support and stability to the shoulder, but they also help to distribute the workload evenly, reducing the strain on any particular structure. By developing strength, we can enhance the overall functionality and resilience of the shoulder.
What about neuromuscular control? Neuromuscular control is a crucial aspect to consider when it comes to shoulder health. It involves the coordination and control of the muscles and the nervous system, working together to produce efficient and precise movements. Think about it, that is exactly what the sport of pickleball requires! Precise and Coordinated Movements.
Neuromuscular control exercises focus on training the muscles to work harmoniously and respond appropriately to various movements and positions. These exercises help improve proprioception (the body's awareness of its position in space) and enhance the body's ability to react and stabilize the shoulder joint during dynamic activities.
By incorporating neuromuscular control exercises into your program, you can enhance the precision, coordination, and timing of muscle activation around the shoulder. This, in turn, helps to reduce the risk of injury, enhance joint stability, and improve overall movement efficiency. So remember combining mobility, strength, and neuromuscular control exercises, you can develop a comprehensive approach to shoulder health and optimize your performance in pickleball or any other physical activities you enjoy. Here are a couple of exercise suggestions!
Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts!
