Phil asked the Guru about his Clunky left shoulder…
June 5, 2014
Hello. I’ve been struggling with my left shoulder for a few years now where it literally clunks around in its socket when I move it around.
Whilst this doesn’t cause any pain, it sometimes aches after running and I believe it is limiting my progress in building up upper body strength & size in my shoulders and chest, and also leads to poor posture.
I have had 2 lots of physio sessions but feel it is no better. I am wondering if there are any other recommended treatments to help fix the issue?
Thanks
Phil
June 5, 2014
Hi Phil
It sounds as if you’ve got an “unstable” shoulder. Don’t go rushing to google to see what an unstable means as  I think it’s a poorly descriptive term which is only relevant to you and your shoulder.
The shoulder joint itself should have about 3-4mm of joint play – I think you’ve got more, hence the term. The clunking is the humerus moving too much in the glenoid (this is what makes up the joint.)
You need to get more control of the joint. Not strength certainly not stretching.
Why you’ve got an unstable shoulder is more important. It just doesn’t happen over night, instead it happen very slowly over a long time period. Common things that cause it are stiff thoracic spines, major rhomboid activity or poor shoulder blade control.
I’m not sure how many sessions you were expecting from your Physio, but 2 is nothing!
You need to be shown how to get stability and control of the joint – as long as you can can get the joint into the right starting position. From this point it’s at least an 8 week program.
It’s down to you!
The Guru
