Rehabilitation and Shoulder Injury Prevention | Y-W-T Shoulder Mobility
The best way for athletes to reduce the risk of a shoulder injury is by performing preventive rehabilitation exercises on the muscles which stabilize and move the arms, shoulders, and shoulder blades. Active and myofascial release techniques such as the Resisted KB Powerbands Partner Externals and any stretching routine which incorporates the Recovery Foam Roller will help to increase shoulder mobility by strengthening and repairing muscles in the shoulders, upper back, and arms. Static stretches such as the Throwing Arm Stretches will also work to increase flexibility and health of the muscles in the upper back and shoulders. Preventive rehabilitation measures such as these will help athletes not only increase throwing power and shoulder stability, but will also reduce the risk of an athlete suffering a tendon or joint injury to the upper body. This type of a shoulder injury can potentially cost athletes months of rehabilitation to not only repair the damaged part of the body, but to also get back to the same level of strength the athlete exerted before the shoulder injury.
Shoulder Mobility Exercises
To perform the Y-W-T Shoulder Mobility Drill athletes will need one Kbands Training Stability Ball. Athletes will position themselves on the Kbands Training Stability Ball so the stability ball is directly under the athletes stomach and hips. Athletes can adjust the position so they can maintain a challenging, but stable body position on the Kbands Training Stability Ball. Athletes will have their chest and eyes pointing toward the ground as the athlete begins the Y-W-T Shoulder Mobility Drill by reaching and extending both arms directly in front of them. Athletes will hold this “Y” position by maintaining straight arms and a straight line down their body. Athletes will move from the “Y” position into the “T” position by lowering the arms to the side until both arms are pointing directly to each side of the athlete. Athletes will maintain a straight body position and arms by squeezing the shoulder blades back and down. Maintaining a back and downward squeeze with the shoulder blades is a great way to strengthen shoulder mobility and stability which will decrease the chances of sustaining a shoulder injury. Athletes will alternate holding each arm position by first holding the “Y” arm position for 6-8 seconds and then moving directly into the “T” arm position and holding for 6-8 seconds, remembering to squeeze the shoulder blades. Athletes will rotate through these two shoulder mobility holding positions 6-8 times taking a 3 second rest each time after both holds have been completed, An example of the execution of the Y-W-T Shoulder Mobility Drill will go as follows, 6-8 second hold of “Y” position, 6-8 second hold of “T” position, 3 second rest, repeat the sequence 6-8 times. Complete 3 rounds of this sequence.
The final arm position in the Y-W-T Shoulder Mobility Drill is the “W” position which will be held to the side of the body, just like the “T” position, but the elbows will have a slight bend in them creating a “W” in the arms as the athlete squeezes the shoulder blades back and down. Athletes will perform this sequence of the Y-W-T Shoulder Mobility Drill by alternating between the “Y” arm position and the “W” arm position. Athletes will perform 6-8 rounds of this sequence. Athletes can alternate between the two shoulder mobility sequences or perform all sets of one shoulder rehabilitation exercise and then perform all sets of the other shoulder mobility sequence. Complete 3 rounds of this sequence.
Why Perform Shoulder Mobility And Rehabilitation Drills On The Kbands Stability Ball
When the body is placed on the Kbands Training Stability Ball in this fashion the angle created by the body puts the shoulders in an optimal position to be challenged when forced to go through different movements. Extending the arms while squeezing the shoulder blades forces the stabilizing muscles, which need to be strengthened to avoid a shoulder injury, to work harder than normal. Also, the unbalanced nature of the Kbands Training Stability ball turns the Y-W-T Shoulder Mobility Exercise into a more challenging, full body exercise than if this shoulder rehabilitation drill was performed on a stable surface like a declined or regular bench.
The direction of the squeeze with the shoulder blades must be emphasized by coaches and athletes. Athletes who squeeze up with their shoulder blades risk over tightening and overworking the muscles of the upper trapezius. If over tightening of the upper trapezius occurs, and is not corrected through use of the Recovery Foam Roller and static stretching techniques, then athletes will lose shoulder mobility and increase the risk of a shoulder injury or tear. Athletes and coaches should also pay extra attention throughout the shoulder mobility training to ensure arms remain even when extended. This will ensure muscles on both sides of the body are worked evenly. Weakness on the athletes non dominant side of the body will be the main contributor in an uneven look of the arms when performing the Y-W-T Shoulder Mobility Drill.
Other Should Mobility And Rehabilitation Exercises With The Kbands Stability Ball
The Prevent And Rehab A Rotator Cuff Injury is another shoulder mobility drill which athletes can use to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder, arms, and upper back in a quicker style workout. Varying both the speed and the angle of the shoulder mobility drill will allow athletes to continually challenge the targeted muscles resulting in greater results from training sessions which focus on preventing a shoulder injury and rehabilitation drills.
Athletes who utilize a good mix of static stretching, active warm ups, foam rolling, and proper warm ups will not only see greater strength and stability in their shoulders and arms, but will also be taking preventive rehabilitation steps to avoid a shoulder injury. Practicing these habits at a young age is another great way to decrease the likelihood of a shoulder injury.