When the shoulder is injured, it is difficult to do daily activities but you have to be patient with your recovery. You should return to your sport slowly and when you do, warm-up well. An injury to a part of your body affects how your body moves.
Release your tight shoulders without static stretching
If all you’re doing is static stretching, you may improve range of motion in that stretch, but you are not improving your range of motion for dynamic movements. To improve range of motion for dynamic movements, you have to loosen tight muscles, improve your coordination, improve your strength and reprogram your neuromuscular system to use the new range of motion you achieve. The lack of strength and coordination can result in ligament injuries and muscle tears because these elements stabilize your joints at the end ranges of motion. If you over-perform a static stretch, you can actually get into stretching things you don’t want to stretch, such as ligaments. The result is an unstable joint and damage to muscles, ligaments, meniscus, bursa and other tissues.
Shoulder Pain? Treat the causes, not the symptoms!
Do not ignore the pain. The way you train might cause excess stress on certain muscles and can damage other tissues like ligaments or the joint capsules. You need to release the tightness in your shoulder if you do exercises like push ups, chin ups, bench press or even back squats. Rounded shoulders, forward head, or being unable to touch your hands behind your back, are signs of lack of flexibility in your shoulders.
If you hurt your shoulder and pain in your shoulder is due to inflammation, applying ice is generally a good idea (10 minutes ON, 10 minutes OFF). If a movement hurts, you have to stop. If you practice a sport, a shoulder injury is not a reason to stop training, you can work on other aspects of your game. There is always something you can do, beside worrying about what you can’t do.
Should I use Ice or Heat?
Use Ice:
- When the shoulder injury is acute, or sudden, to help relieve and prevent swelling.
- After a tough exercise to relieve muscle soreness and shorten recovery time
- To recover from shoulder surgery by reducing swelling around the incisions
Do not use Ice:
- To relieve shoulder stiffness
- Before you exercise because it will hide the pain
- If you have high blood pressure or If you have problems with circulation
- On open wounds
- On areas treated with anesthesia
- On chronic shoulder injuries
Use Heat:
- After the swelling has gone down from the initial injury, use heat to trigger the healing response
- To help with shoulder stiffness
- If you have a chronic or reoccurring shoulder injury, for pain relief
Do not use Heat:
- On a new or acute shoulder injury
- On any injury that is swollen or inflamed
Source: http://www.issaonline.edu