What Is Arthritis?

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It occurs when the cartilage which acts as a protective layer and cushion at the ends of the bones can wear down over time. 

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint, but the most commonly affects joints in your hands, knees, hips and spine. Today, we will be talking about shoulder osteoarthritis and what you can do to prevent and what you can do to live a strong and confident life even with arthritis. 

The shoulder joint includes the glenohumeral joint made up of the humerus bone (upper arm) which articulates with a part of the scapula (shoulder blade). The scapula also articulates with the clavicle (collar bone). 

The shoulder joint can seem complex as it has many soft tissue structures around and within it like muscles, ligaments and tendons to support and stabilize the entire shoulder joint and shoulder/scapula complex, such as the rotator cuff muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis), glenohumeral ligaments, coracoacromial ligament, coracohumeral ligament, acromioclavicular ligament, biceps tendon. This list is far from exhaustive but it’s more to show how many components support and are involved with our shoulder joint health. 

There’s also cartilage which surrounds the bones at the joint surface, which we mentioned above. This can be where symptoms of osteoarthritis can occur over time. 

What Can I Do?

At Inside Out Strength and Performance we work with hundreds of patients, active adults and athletes and we commonly see people with some form of OA. As Doctors of Physical Therapy, we help identify the root cause of symptoms, asymmetries and movement dysfunction and work with individuals.

Many people have reduced strength in the muscles around the joint which can lead to more symptoms 

5 Best Exercises for Shoulder Osteoarthritis

Thoracic Spine Rotations

Prone Shoulder Extensions 

Wall Slides

 Scapular Push Ups

Banded External Rotation Against Wall

Give these a try let us know if you feel a difference.  This has worked with hundreds of clients that we have worked with both locally at our performance physical therapy clinic as well as with online training athletes that we program for.

Don’t wait to live your best life, we’d love to help you reach your goals and be a part of your transformation!

Most people don’t know how to stay healthy and fit without getting hurt. At Inside Out Strength and Performance we provide a clear plan to get you in the best shape of your life, without getting injured, so that you can be active and confident that you’ll feel your best for years to come.

We help North County San Diego’s active adults and runners dealing with pain or injury get back to living a pain-free, strong, and confident life.

We are the Strength Docs who help active adults and runners live a strong, confident, and pain-free life. Fill out our contact form here to get a clear plan and get started.