Many people develop some fear and anxiety from exercising in pain. You’ve heard that exercise can relieve pain, but the thought of exposing yourself to more pain, especially if it’s been going on for a long time, can be daunting. As physical therapists, we see this fear and anxiety every day, but we have the tools to help guide our patients through the process, and the results show a stark contrast from the beginning to the end of their care.
So how do you do this on your own when you have no one to help guide you? First, the research consensus shows that exercising when you have shoulder pain is safe and very effective in reducing shoulder pain in the long run.1,2,3 Second, there are strategies you can employ while exercising to help reduce the pain you’re experiencing. Here’s a list of strategies to help relieve shoulder pain and get you back on the right track, making exercising as pain-free as possible.
Manage your training load:
- You can only train effectively if you can recover from the work you are doing. Frequency, intensity and load all play a role in this equation.
Change your form to:
- Especially dumbbell exercises. Sometimes changing your posture slightly can reduce shoulder pain while exercising.
Use the traffic light system
- Used to help decide what pain is acceptable and what pain is not.
- green: 0-3/10 pain. This is a comfortable workspace.
- yellow: 4-5/10. This point is usually OK, but you should consider ways to reduce it to 3/10 or less.
- Red: 6-10/10. This is the area you should leave as soon as possible. Bad things won’t always happen in this area, but the stakes are certainly higher than in other areas.
- Use aerobic exercise training to reduce overall pain sensitivity and exercise tolerance.
Is it safe to exercise when you have shoulder pain?
The answer is yes, but there are a few factors you should be aware of that can affect your pain, for better or worse. The tips above will help guide you through your exercise program and put you on the right path to exercise for shoulder pain relief. If you find yourself still in doubt, or unsure what procedure to follow, schedule a free evaluation with your local Athletico today. Free assessments are available in-clinic or virtually through our telehealth platform.
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*Beneficiaries of programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VHA, and other federally funded programs are not eligible for free evaluations per federal guidelines.
The Athletico Blog is an educational resource written by Athletico staff. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the codes of ethics established by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the author alone, based on his expertise and experience. The content presented in this blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied upon in making personal health decisions.
refer to:
1. Dubé MO, Desmeules F, Lewis J, Roy JS. Rotator Cuff-Related Shoulder Pain: Does Exercise Type Affect Outcomes? Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol. BMJ Open. 2020;10(11):e039976. Published November 5, 2020. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039976
2. Ludewig PM, Borstad JD. Effects of a home exercise program on shoulder pain and functional status in construction workers. Occupy Environmental Medicine. 2003;60(11):841-849. doi:10.1136/oem.60.11.841
3. Shoulder pain: Exercise can reduce pain and improve mobility and function. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2020;50(3):142. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2020.0501
4. Tan L, Cicuttini FM, Fairley J, et al. Does aerobic exercise affect pain sensitivity in patients with musculoskeletal pain? Systematic review. BMC Musculoskeletal disorders. 2022;23(1):113. Published February 3, 2022. doi:10.1186/s12891-022-05047-9
5. Trøstrup J, Svendsen SW, Dalbøge A, et al. Increased shoulder pain during exercise and following shoulder exercise: a prospective cohort study. BMC Musculoskeletal disorders. 2022;23(1):726. Published July 29, 2022. doi:10.1186/s12891-022-05674-2
