Stronger Shoulders: Injury Mitigation, Training, and Long-Term Health - The Sports Chiropractic Approach
- Andrew Torrico
- Dec 16, 2025
- 3 min read
(a few take-aways from Saturday’s Downtown Long Beach workshop)
Stability keeps our shoulders safe and injury-free. This is just the ability to maintain the shoulder joint’s position and movement, while resisting undesired deviation.
Think of our “canon from a canoe” analogy - you can't fire a canon from a canoe.
Everything that we do with our shoulders needs some level of stability. From adjusting the rearview mirror in our car every morning and night, to our muscles making sure our arms don’t fall off when we’re doing some kind of pull up. Creating stability in our shoulders helps ensure they last as long as we do.
Most Common Shoulder Injuries
Rotator cuff strains
Rotator cuff includes all the muscles wrapping around our shoulders
Injury to the muscles of the rotator cuff usually happens when physical demands outweigh our capacity to do work
So, strong shoulders usually diminishes chances of injury
Shoulder impingement
Muscles of the rotator cuff, specifically the top one can be prone to abrasive wear
Warming up shoulders before shoulder heavy exercises can be crucial to maintaining healthy shoulders
Biceps tendinopathy / labral tears
One of the bicep tendons actually attaches to our labrum, a squishy pad in our shoulder’s ball and socket joint
Usually presents as pin-point pain at the front of the shoulder when performing pressing or overhead movements
Responds well to conservative therapy: muscle work, chiropractic techniques and upper body rehab exercises
Instability / dislocations
Essentially, this is sloppiness of the joint leading to dull pains at end ranges of motion
Clicking and popping in the joint is usual, sometimes with pain
Instability can happen when people have had one or more shoulder dislocations
Responds very well to progressive shoulder stability exercises with a rehab professional
3 Pillars of Shoulder Resilience
Flexibility: this is a joint’s ability to be passively moved through its entire range of motion by outside forces. Basically, how far muscles and ligaments can passively stretch.
Mobility: this is a joint’s ability to actively move through its entire range of motion. For example, when you want to see how far your arm can go overhead. Your mobility is your flexibility, but you are actively using that flexibility.
Stability: All the others are incredibly important, but THIS is our main tool for resilience. This is the ability to maintain CONTROL of movements or to SUSTAIN a held position. Stability is crucial for injury mitigation. Let's think of a canon. When it’s mounted to something sturdy, it will fire off with no issues. But, say you put the canon in a little canoe. It’s not as effective, right? That's the idea of stability.
Red Flags & When to Seek Help
Pain that lingers beyond 2-3 weeks
Pain that limits sleep, range of motion, or strength
Numbness, feelings of instability, or sharp catching pain in joints
This is not a complete nor a definitive list
You deserve healthcare that goes beyond 5 minute visits.
Whether you're recovering from a new injury, or an old injury continues to hold you back, our sports chiropractors in Long Beach, California take time to assess the root cause of your injury, getting you back to the activities that you love.
Exercises
(can be used for warm up, rehabilitation and/or general resiliency)
Just as with any tool, it's not only the tool that matters, but how you use it. Many variables can be changed while using these tools like duration, weight, control, time, etc. Different injuries call for different approaches
Shoulder CARs (controlled articular rotations) - only use the range of motion that you are comfortable with
DNS 5 month side-lying - lying on your side, with you bottom elbow out in front of you. Keep your rib cage off the floor
Standing forward lean As, Ts and Ys - use small weights, and feel the muscles in the back of your shoulders working
Standing and Half-Kneeling Kettlebell Windmills - keep the weight as high as you can hold it.
Located in Long Beach, California, Dr. Andrew is a sports chiropractor and rehab specialist helping athletes, lifters, and active people recover from injuries, reduce pain, and return to training safely. At Elite Motion Chiro, we combine evidence-based chiropractic care, movement assessments, and personalized rehab plans that help you recover faster, lift heavier, and stay injury-free with confidence. Your body, your goals—supported every step of the way.
Comments