Healing, Better Sleep and Wellness Blog

Isometric Shoulder Exercises, Good for Rotator Cuff Injury Prevention even in Rush Hour Traffic!

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Do you suffer from shoulder or neck pain? Well, have you thought of driving as a treatment plan? Usually its traffic that causes pains in our neck not what prevents it. Studies show however, that about half of rotator cuff injuries in our shoulder can heal with self care or isometric exercise therapy and what better place to strengthen those muscles then when sitting in traffic?  Wouldn't you also like to PREVENT rotator cuff Injuries and help keep your bones strong??  To promote your bone health and prevent potential injuries might be just the most sane idea in our paradoxical universe while driving in stop and go traffic while pressing against your steering wheel, not your horn!

Staring off into space, yelling at other drivers, trying not to go insane, and honking incessantly, these are the things people usually do when sitting in traffic. A cycle of bad music on the radio and thoughts of what you have to do when you finally got out of the car, last the entire ride home.
But while we can’t easily fix our traffic problems, there are a few simple ways to make your commute a little more fruitful.

Your shoulder is made up of muscles and tendons that connect your upper arm bone with your shoulder blade. This area is called the Rotator cuff and it helps hold the ball of your upper arm bone firmly in your shoulder socket. This combination is what allows you to lift and rotate your arm and as you can imagine, if this area gets injured or compromised, it can result in a lot of pain and immobility.

Weakness in this spot can make you more susceptible to injuries, so maintaining strength through specific exercises is important. I’ve recently developed a simple Isometric exercise program for both rehabilitation and prevention that can be done to strengthen your shoulder muscles using only your steering wheel for resistance.

Check it out below.

Who knew stop and go traffic could be this productive?

2. Arms same position as #1

But now place hands on inside of steering wheel and Push outward, hold for 5 secs.

3. Elbows close together, pull downward at 

A) Top of steering wheel

B) Bottom of steering wheel

Hold each position for 5 seconds.

4. Same position of hands. Pull Upward

holding for 5 seconds 3 x each.

A few tips:

1) Being safe is obviously the first priority so do the exercises while stopped at a light.

2) If you experience any pain, consult your doctor before participating in this or any exercise program.

3) For you super strong people you ARE capable of breaking the steering wheel, so caution should be exercised and try not to apply too much force. These exercises are designed for gentle isometric contractions for the average person but if you can exert more than 10 - 15 lbs, perhaps you should stick to your gym routine.

4) And finally, these exercises are great for you.  But you also must get good sleep to heal, prevent injury, and stay at the top of your game.  Please visit the most remarkable PILLO in the world PILLO1, to see how you can Sleep Beautifully and Heal Naturally!!