The Mom Shoulder Fix
So you’ve had a cuddly kid or two for a bit now, and are starting to notice that your shoulder is hurting. Babies and toddlers are heavy, and repetitive lifting and holding without always paying attention to your mechanics can really cause some pain there! There are a number of reasons why, specifically, your shoulder or shoulders could hurt, but they are often fixed by correcting your posture and stabilizing your rotator cuff. So read along and see how I generally treat women who present with shoulder pain if they have little kids, because I can almost guarantee very few of us are always maintaining good posture during all of the sweet snuggles.
If you look in the image above, you can see how I am holding my daughter with rounded shoulders and bent neck, in a protective sort of posture because she was upset and shy for a brief minute (ok, for the whole shoot because she’s a sassy one). Babies and toddlers love this sort of hold because they know how secure they are in it. But it can take a toll on a parent. Having your shoulders hunched like this strains your scapular stabilizers, and can contribute to upper and mid-back pain.
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And having your scapulas less stabilized by being in this poor posture can cause impingement as you are holding a little one in a sustained position, potentially compressing your supraspinatus muscle. Impingement is typically felt in the upper shoulder, near the end of your collar bone. You may note one or both types of pain, but they’re both very treatable. Keep reading to find out how!
Posture
First things first, you’re going to want to make sure you have good posture while not holding baby. I typically suggest doing this by backing yourself up to a door (heels away from the wall unless you have absolutely no butt to account for) and get your buttocks, mid and upper back, and head against the door. Squeeze your shoulders back like you’re Dolly Parton (seriously, that lady has the best posture) and get your chin parallel to the floor. Step away from the door and keep this posture, but allow your arms to move freely as you walk. Welcome to how tall you were before your kid(s) wore you down. Just kidding. Get in the habit of being this upright, with and without carrying your kiddos, and this will be the start of less shoulder -and back- pain.
Shoulder strengthening
Good posture is a quick fix for a lot of things, but good posture alone cannot support the repetitive strain a 10-30 lb. (or more) child who just wants to be held places on your shoulder joints. That requires some work. Fortunately you don’t need anything too fancy to get started. The video in this article goes through the exercises visually, but they are as follows:
Extension Pulses: on hands and knees with your spine straight, stabilize your shoulders by squeezing your shoulder blades toward your spine and gently down away from your ears. Pulse a weight (in the video I am using 2 lbs., so a can of soup will also work) from mid-thigh to your hip. Repeat for 10-15 pulses for each arm.
Reverse Flies: continuing on hands and knees with your spine straight, stabilize your shoulders again. With a slight bend in your elbow bring the working arm up to shoulder height at 90 degrees from your body. Lower back down in a controlled manner. Repeat 10-15 times on each side.
External Rotations: lying on your side with your head supported, place a pillow or stuffed animal under your top elbow and set your shoulders. Keeping your upper arm in line with your torso, lift your forearm up toward the ceiling and slowly lower back down to in front of your body. Repeat 10-15 times each side.
Do this series for 2-3 rounds.
The takeaway
Shoulders are the most dynamic joint in the human body. They are designed for motion, which is great when we need to reach way up high or to the side, but challenging with repetitive strains that continually stress the same muscles. In order to maintain a healthy shoulder joint it is important to maintain good posture as well as a healthy rotator cuff (the shoulder’s supporting musculature). There are a number of other factors and muscles involved, but this is a great place to start if you are experiencing any discomfort. Please comment if you have any questions, and happy strengthening!