Whatever badass fitness goals you’re working toward—whether that’s performing your first pull-up, doing a handstand in yoga class, or crushing your tennis serve—success hinges largely on your shoulders and whether you have shoulder pain.
“Even something like a deadlift, which you don’t typically think of as an upper body exercise, requires strong shoulders,” says Mike T. Nelson, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and adjunct professor of human performance at Carrick Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. “If you can’t stabilize the load as you come up, you’re going to have some issues.” With weak or unstable shoulders, you might not be able to get the weight off the floor at all.
The shoulders are the most mobile joints in your body. But that mobility comes at a price: stability, says certified strength and conditioning specialist Matt Unthank, training director at Crossover Symmetry in Denver.
One in four women ages 20 to 55 complain of shoulder pain, per BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. And another study suggests that, at some point, about 20 percent of us will tear our rotator cuff.
As women, everything from how we’re built to how we live and train impacts our shoulder health. Here are the biggest everyday shoulder pain causes and how to beat them
YOUR PHONE
When you hunch over a screen (be it phone, tablet, or computer), your head puts 60 pounds of pressure on your neck—rounding your shoulders forward and weakening the supportive back and shoulder muscles, Unthank says. Over time, they become weak and stretched out, and you start complaining about “carrying everything” in your shoulders
THE FIX: In one study of female office workers, performing a 20-minute shoulder- and neck-strengthening dumbbell workout three times a week for 10 weeks significantly reduced pain and improved function.
RELATED: The Strong-Shoulder Workout
YOUR HORMONES
Yep, the gender gap hits the shoulder too. The hormone estrogen affects collagen synthesis, making women’s joints laxer, easier to injure, and slower to repair, says physical therapist Jessica Hettler, D.P.T., clinical manager at the Hospital for Special Surgery sports rehabilitation and performance center in New York City.
THE FIX: If you’re on the Pill, good news: Hormonal contraceptives may significantly reduce the risk for ligament injury, per recent research in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. Not on BC? Hettler says you are most prone to ligament injury in the luteal phase (from ovulation until your period starts), so keep an eye on your form and intensity during that time of the month to help avoid injury.
YOUR WORKOUT
When you’re flexing (or selfie-ing) in front of the mirror, it’s natural to focus on what’s most visible. But that means we tend to forget about the smaller stabilizer muscles that we can’t always see, but stabilize the shoulder and combat rounded shoulders.
THE FIX: Perform two pulling exercises (think rows and chinups) for every pushing exercise (like pushups and chest presses) in your workout routine, Nelson says. This will help strengthen those crucial posterior muscles (the ones on the back side of your body) while also helping to combat muscular imbalances that can make your shoulders more susceptible to injury.
RELATED: Smart Exercise Modifications for Finicky Shoulders
YOUR HANDBAG
“The tendons of the rotator cuff are like a pair of blue jeans: With poor care and a lot of use, the denim starts to wear out and become frayed,” unthank says. “If you’re carrying a bag the same way every day, especially if it’s superheavy, you add load to those torn blue jeans, causing them to wear down quicker.
THE FIX: Realistically, it’s a big ask to downsize your handbag. Instead, opt for wider straps if possible, wear your bag across your body whenever you can, and switch shoulders every now and then, he says.
YOUR BRA
If you’re a C cup or larger, your bra straps may have created grooves on top of your shoulders. Well, if not corrected, these can become permanent, actually deforming the shoulders’ muscle fascia, explains sports physiotherapist Deirdre McGhee, Ph.D., a researcher with Breast Research Australia at the university of Wollongong. “They can also become very painful,” she says.
Striking a balance between mobility and stability is crucial for avoiding shoulder injuries.
RELATED: How’s Your Shoulder Mobility?
Originally written for Women’s Health magazine. Check out the print version—you can even download the pdf—below.