💥Do you have limited SHOULDER MOBILITY ?💥

This is a sagittal plane shoulder assessment to check "SHOULDER FLXION" I use it with all my clients before starting any exercise program to see each individual's joint mobility/strength/weakness or motor control problems with the shoulder, limited shoulder flexion will have a huge impact on exercises like overhead pressing, handstands, Olympic lifting and overall injury prevention for the shoulder. 

Shoulder flexion is the ability to get your arms overhead without any restrictions or compensation in the spine, having full range means you should be able to go from 0-180 degrees of flexion ending with the humerus beside your ear without any pain or restrictions. Before taking this test it's important to be aware of any individual postural alignment issues that could be affecting joint kinematics and the outcome of this test, if the shoulder or scapula has any major alignment issues it's going to have a big impact on your shoulder flexion and over all mobility of the joint. 

The 2 main assessments I use are passive and active shoulder flexion, here is how to do them. 

💥Passive shoulder flexion test: 

-Lay on the ground in a prone position, knees bent, hands beside hips and thumbs pointed to the ceiling

-Posteriorly rotate your pelvis so lower lumbar stays flat against the ground throughout the entire movement

-Start by raising your arm while keeping the shoulder, elbow and wrist in a straight line then with the help of a partner or gravity try to let your humerus drop down beside your ear and thumb touching the floor behind you. Make sure to stop if your back lifts off the floor at any point of the movement, if you can remain in neutral and reach the floor move onto the active assessment.

💥Active shoulder flexion test:

-The same rules apply as the passive test but this time you will be actively contracting the shoulder flexors (Anterior delt/
Coracobrachialis/
Biceps brachii/
Pec major) also the traps/ serratus anterior are involved in flexion above 90 degrees along with a few other muscles.

-Standing with your back flat against a wall, keep your feet 6-8" away and maintaining a neutral spine position during the entire movement. 

-Raise your arm with thumb pointing up and stop if there is any change in positioning of the spine or you feel you hit end range.

There are actually a lot of areas that may be limiting or inhibiting the ability to get your arms overhead including soft tissue, length tension relations, motor control, joint capsule restrictions or alignment issues and it's very individualized. These are some of the main areas that I work on with clients that make a big improvement to the vast majority of people.

Latissimus dorsi
Pec minor/major
Triceps
Teres Major
Delts
Traps
Rotator cuff