Shoulder Care
How to Draw Neck & Shoulders artistsandillustrators.co.uk
Do you think about your shoulders often? Musicians probably think about them more than the average person, but I would guess that we all think about them more than people did even two decades ago before the prevalence of personal computers and smart phones. If you were an athlete of any type (including marching band, especially if you were a drum major) then perhaps your shoulders were on your mind. If you’re aging at all they might also be on your mind, particularly if you happen to slouch or are a side sleeper (who knew sleeping comfortably could produce so much discomfort?)
Having a correct mental “map” of how our shoulders work can be really helpful - it’s a complicated arrangement of bone structure, layers of muscle that interact in a variety of ways, and fascial tissue. Our mental mapping can affect the way we use our shoulders, but a correct mental map is only effective if we’ve taken the time to observe and understand our current use or the muscle group or body part in question.
There are plenty of things outside of the way we picture the structure of our shoulders that can lead to improper use or discomfort. This includes tension from playing, from stress, or from other activities like using a computer or smart phone or exercise. This might also include how we sit out the couch in the evenings as we watch tv, our alignment when we stand and how we stand when we do activities like cooking or grocery shopping. How we sleep makes a major impact on our shoulders, especially if we are side sleepers.
Every movement we take creates a pathway. Whether a repeated movement is “correct” or not is not important to our fascial tissue. The tissue will not default to the natural or neutral use of a muscle. The fact that the movement is being done repeatedly means that the tissue will build a more efficient pathway for that movement. Over time this can lead to fluid buildup or dehydration of surrounding tissue, and in some cases may cause impingement where muscles that are not meant to work together become bound by our use of them.
It’s not just musicians that need to care for their shoulders. All of us who use modern devices for so much of our day would feel a vast improvement in our wellbeing if we were more attentive to our shoulders and their immediate connection to the neck and back.
The images that follow are meant to give you a general sense of the structure and complexity of your shoulders, as well as an idea of the ways the shoulders are inseparable from our neck and back. The exercises that follow are some of my favorite ways to relieve tension and encourage natural and neutral use of this important area of the body.
There are both movement based and static stretches that I love for shoulders, neck, and back. I would recommend beginning with movement to warm the muscles and encourage hydration of the tissue and release of any fluid buildup. Beginning with static stretching has the potential to encourage injury.
Movement for shoulders:
Inhale/Exhale Shoulder Sequence:
In a neutral seated or standing posture, take three long and unhurried breaths in and out through the nose or in through the nose and out through the mouth. Simply feel your rib cage moving as you breathe.
Take three more breaths the same way, adding movement of the arms. When you breathe in lift your arms overhead and when you breathe out allow your arms to slowly come to rest at your sides.
Continue to include your arms in the next three breaths, which should remain long and controlled, lifting the arms as you inhale and dropping the elbows into a cactus shape as you exhale.
On the final exhale of the last round of three, keep your arms in the cactus shape and take one to three breaths here.
Throughout the sequence, try to remain attentive to the changing sensations around your breath, rib cage, collar bone, and shoulders.
Half Suns with Swan Dives:
Begin in a neutral standing position (mountain pose).
Inhale and reach the arms overhead.
Exhale and fold forward, hinging from the hips and relaxing the neck.
Inhale to a flat-back, halfway lift position.
Exhale to forward fold.
Inhale to slowly return to standing, reaching the arms overhead.
Exhale to dive forward, taking the arms out to the side and then down toward the floor (like a swan dive).
Repeat the entire sequence slowly and connected with breath three to five times.
On the final half sun, you could continue reaching the arms overhead, clasping the hands and reaching to the right, then left, returning to center to reach the hands back as you press your weight into your feet.
Thread the Needle:
Begin in a table top position on a yoga mat, exercise mat, or carpeted floor. Place your right hand centered below you.
Inhale the left hand up for a gentle twist and exhale to set it back down. Repeat three times. On the third exhale, thread the left hand and arm underneath you, setting your shoulder and head on the mat and turning your head to the right. Take three deep breaths here before bringing the right hand back to center. Inhale the left arm up and exhale to return to table top.
Repeat on the other side.
Static Stretching for Shoulders:
Tricep Stretch:
The standard static tricep stretch. Be sure you are continuing to breath slowly and fully as you reach one hand between your shoulder blades and grasp or reach toward the elbow with your opposite hand. Stay for three long breaths.
Outer Shoulder:
Reach across the body with your left arm. Fold the right forearm up to hold your left arm close to you. Stay here for three long breaths.
Resting Cactus Arms:
Laying on the floor, a yoga mat, or a bed, reach your arms over head in cactus arms. Rest here with legs outstretched, feet on the floor with knees toward the ceiling, or legs in butterfly pose for as long as you would like, allowing gravity to reset the shoulders and open space across the collar bone.
Fish Pose:
There are a variety of ways to do fish pose, but it is crucial for all of them that you are attentive to how you are feeling and that you can still breathe and swallow comfortably. Fish encourages a back bend in the thoracic spine and provides an opportunity for our shoulders to gradually release tension that is being stored.
Fish pose should be done on the ground with blocks, pillows, or a blanket. If you have never done fish or have very tight shoulders, use a blanket. I’ll list several ways to do fish below, beginning with the easiest/least demanding. For each, begin in semi-supine position on your back on the floor with your feet on the floor and your knees pointing toward the ceiling. You could also rest with your legs in butterfly. Breathe long in and out the entire time you are in fish pose. Your arms can rest beside you, out to the sides, or in cactus shape.
Fish with blanket: Fold or roll the blanket “sushi style” - it should be roughly the length of your spine from low back to the base of your neck. Lie down on the blanket so that it is under your spine from your low back to the base of your neck. Let your head rest back on the floor. If you can’t breathe or swallow comfortably, use a thinner blanket or add a soft prop under your head.
Fish with pillow #1: Place the pillow as you did the blanket, along and supporting the entirety of the spine up to the base of your neck. Allow your head to rest back on the floor.
Fish with pillow #2: Place the pillow in “landscape” so that the long edge is along the base of your shoulder blades with the rest of the pillow above them. Allow your head to rest back on the floor.
Fish with block: Place the block in “landscape” with the long edge along the base of your shoulder blades with the rest of the block above them. The block should be on it’s shortest height. If leaning your head back off the block creates discomfort, or if it doesn’t touch the floor, add a soft prop under your head.
You can stay in fish for just a few breaths or for five to ten minutes. When you feel complete, remove your prop and rest with your shoulders flat on the floor for at least 3-5 breaths.
There are many, many more ways to stretch and care for the shoulders and encourage healthy mobility, these are a few of my favorites. A few minutes a day will make a tremendous impact in both comfort and healthy longevity of the shoulders and surrounding muscles!