So I finally have gotten a chance to talk with you more about strengthening and exercise and how it can help but often hurts!  Today we're going to talk about how this concept of symmetry can affect the shoulder complex... and complex it is;)  First we must understand a little background anatomy...

Many of my patients, even if they don't initially come to see me for this reason, have some shoulder pain or dysfunction.  Many times the reason their neck or back hurts is DIRECTLY related to the shoulder joint itself.  The shoulder is, by nature, a vulnerable joint system because of it's incredible range of motion(ROM).  It is the most mobile joint in the body!  This vast ROM comes mainly because the shoulder complex is very loosely bound to the body versus other big joints in the body.

If you look at the hip for instance, it has a substantial "ball and socket" joint encased in a robust capsule which is like a tightly wrapped fibrous strapping (think of wrapping a broken broom handle with a wad of duct tape and you'll start to get an idea of what a capsule looks like.)  This makes the hip joint very strong but limits it's ROM.  The shoulder joint, specifically what's called the glenohumoral joint(GH), is more like a "ball and saucer" joint which allows the ROM to be much greater.  Additionally the capsule is much less robust versus the hip joint (it doesn't need to carry the weight of a hip joint).

So now we've established basically how the GH (shoulder joint) is affixed to the body and why it can have such a great ROM.  This leads us to the "meat" of our discussion... no pun intended, well okay maybe a little.  The "meat" or the muscles of the shoulder system is the key to how it all works.  There is an elaborate web of different muscles that surround the joint and work harmoniously in balance with it's analogous partner... a fancy way of saying pull balances with push.

Every joint in your body has a system of opposing muscle groups.  One group moves the joint in, let's say a forward motion, and the opposing or antagonistic group returns the joint to its original position.  Pretty basic concept and if you get this you'll be able to help yourself out a lot in your workouts!  In the shoulder system the basic problem in the VAST majority of the public is that the whole system is held or positioned too far forward.  That is, the shoulder blades and the arm that hangs from it, are shifted forward so that they are rounded and rolled to the front of the body... (read: SLOUCH).

This basic postural asymmetry puts the GH(shoulder) joint into a very dangerous position in which it can be easily damaged by "normal" movements and exercises.  So what does that mean?  It means you have to start with the base or foundation of the shoulder complex which is getting the shoulder blades to retract (move back) and depress (move