Shoulder joint pain

J

Jacksplat

New Member
Hi, I'm new to this forum and I'm sure I probably should search the archives to find an answer to this question but I'm not even sure where to access the search and my shoulder's starting to bother me a lot.

I've been playing badminton 2 times a week now and I'm starting to notice a pain in the shoulder joint. I've heard that improper rotation or overuse can cause problems. I'm just wondering if anyone who's experienced this can share on what they did to alleviate the problem?

Does weight training to strengthen the shoulder muscles help? Are there any magic drugs or supplements that can help? Any stretching exercises that might help before and after games?

Thanks in advance
Jacksplat
 
Well your shoulder problem could be a variety of things...If you think it's overuse then it's probably a good idea to give it a good rest to let it heal itself and then when the pain is completely gone then start building up shoulder strength gradually (don't overdo it otherwise the pain will probably come back). However if resting it at first doesn't relieve the pain it might be a more serious problem than overuse, in which case it's probably a good idea to get some physiotherapy...from personal experience i can tell you those people do magical things when it comes to joint pains
 
The shoulder is a common area of injury in badminton.

If you do little other activity, then playing badminton can gradually lead to a muscular imbalance, with stronger "front" muscles (pronators/internal rotators) than back muscles (supinators/external rotators). This adds to your risk of shoulder injury.

Some people, such as myself, are genetically more susceptible to joint injury because they are hypermobile (lax ligaments). I've recently had major shoulder surgery as a result of a long-term, gradual onset injury (my labrum became 3/4 detached from the glenoid).

You cannot completely protect yourself; to some extent it depends on your genes. Nevertheless you can greatly reduce your risk by being sensible:
  • Always warm up before games.
  • Always stretch afterwards.
  • Make sure you are fit enough for your standard of play; strengthen your shoulder in all directions by weight training or other resistance exercise.
  • Consult a doctor early when you experience pain.
 
Rest & ice

Rest &ice are probably the best things that you can do for your shoulder.

I'm assuming that overhead motions in badminton bother your shoulder moreso than underhand motions. You should have your strokes analyzed by a pro to be sure that you are employing proper mechanics -- mechanics that do not put undue stress on your shoulder. Are you using body rotation (esp upper body), forearm rotation (pronation & supination), finger power, etc. to generate power for your strokes?

Without knowing the exact nature of your shoulder pain it would be difficult to make specific recommendations other than rest and ice. What specific actions appear to bother your shoulder the most? External rotation of the upper arm? Internal rotation (might be less common)? Lateral arm raise? Lifting the arm up in front of you?

The most common source of shoulder pain, especially in sports, is rotator cuff injuries (including overuse injuries). However, there can be a number of different types of rotator cuff injuries. You may or may not inflammation associated with your shoulder pain. Pain with inflammation would probably be an acute condition whereas pain w/o inflammation may very well be a chronic condition. You condition could be primarily be a tendon problem or it could be a ligament problem. Altho' it is probably quite a bit less likely, it is possible that your pain is due primarily a (deltoid) muscle injury.

Your shoulder pain might be due to a tear or it could be an impingement. Check out the following links to determine if your problem is probably some sort of rotator cuff issue. If your pain lasts for a while, it is best to have it checked out by a physician, qualified trainer or physical therapist.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotator_cuff

clinicalsportsmedicine.com/chapters/14d.htm

health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw105845

sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/shoulder/rotatorcuff.htm

Note: One or more of the links above includes some suggested exercise therapy.
 
One of the key things in having healthy shoulders is having good control over your shoulder blade (aka scapula).

Take a movement like raising your arm overhead. Normally your scapular stabilizer muscles will hold your scapula in place so that there's enough space in the shoulder for things to move around without grinding or pressing on each other. The problem is that these stabilizer muscles can sometimes exhaust themselves before the prime mover muscles do. This means that you can still perform the action, but now you're doing it with your shoulder in an 'at risk' position - not good!

Normally, when exercising or practising people focus on the movement of their hands/raquets/etc and not on the more subtle positioning of their shoulder blades. So one thing to do is to start paying attention to your scapula.
 
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