Stop Neck and Shoulder Pain
Next to lower back pain, limited range of motion and pain in the shoulder joint are two of the most common problems I see in adults over the age of 35. Many people opt for surgery without knowing that surgery is not necessary and likely won’t fix the problem.
Therefore, I was encouraged to see that a major hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, actually clearly explains what often goes wrong in the shoulder joint. Follow this link to read their brief explanation of why shoulders can become so painful. [A new browser page will open.]
My only complaint with their description is that they (and pretty much every other surgical/medical website) fail to mention that the entire body is one continuous unit of muscles and bones (called the "kinetic chain"). Meaning, the posture of your entire body is affecting the position of your shoulders and neck: It’s not just a problem in the shoulder joint!
At this point, you’ve seen me link to the video below several times. It’s likely the simplest and most important--and possibly the least understood--fact about the causes and solutions of pain in every joint in the body.
Therefore, I was encouraged to see that a major hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, actually clearly explains what often goes wrong in the shoulder joint. Follow this link to read their brief explanation of why shoulders can become so painful. [A new browser page will open.]
My only complaint with their description is that they (and pretty much every other surgical/medical website) fail to mention that the entire body is one continuous unit of muscles and bones (called the "kinetic chain"). Meaning, the posture of your entire body is affecting the position of your shoulders and neck: It’s not just a problem in the shoulder joint!
At this point, you’ve seen me link to the video below several times. It’s likely the simplest and most important--and possibly the least understood--fact about the causes and solutions of pain in every joint in the body.
The biggest cause of back (or any joint) pain, and its solution, is this: Muscles move your bones! Sara Hauber explains why this simple fact empowers you to stop your pain.
Click to see some of the major players in bad and good neck and shoulder position.
Thus, in order to get the bones surrounding the shoulder joint back into the proper place, and in order to relieve the inflammation in the soft tissues in the shoulder joint, you need to stretch and strengthen specific groups of muscles.
It’s not a mystery which ones need to be stretched and which ones need to be strengthened. We simply go back to ideal posture, which you are taught in Session 1 of The Hauber Method™ Series A, and we start to lengthen the muscles that are short, loosen the muscles that are tight, and strengthen the muscles that are too weak to hold your bones and joints where they are supposed to be.
It really is that simple!
In Series C, we spend a lot of time focusing on the shoulder and neck. By that point in the program, you’ve already got the necessary core strength and glute and pelvis function to help hold the rest of your body in correct posture while we work the shoulder joints.
If you start such work too soon, without having that foundation, you’ll end up with the same pain--or brand new pain in another joint--somewhere down the line.
Remember the Hauber Method™ is a progressive, logical series of exercises and stretches based on valid movement science and designed to get you out of pain and keep you out of pain.
Therefore, the Series C portion is just as comprehensive as the foundation work you do regarding your posture, deep core, glutes and hips, legs and feet.
All of the exercises for your neck, shoulders, and upper and middle back are taught in the systematic, progressive, clearly-explained way that makes my programs so successful.
It’s not a mystery which ones need to be stretched and which ones need to be strengthened. We simply go back to ideal posture, which you are taught in Session 1 of The Hauber Method™ Series A, and we start to lengthen the muscles that are short, loosen the muscles that are tight, and strengthen the muscles that are too weak to hold your bones and joints where they are supposed to be.
It really is that simple!
In Series C, we spend a lot of time focusing on the shoulder and neck. By that point in the program, you’ve already got the necessary core strength and glute and pelvis function to help hold the rest of your body in correct posture while we work the shoulder joints.
If you start such work too soon, without having that foundation, you’ll end up with the same pain--or brand new pain in another joint--somewhere down the line.
Remember the Hauber Method™ is a progressive, logical series of exercises and stretches based on valid movement science and designed to get you out of pain and keep you out of pain.
Therefore, the Series C portion is just as comprehensive as the foundation work you do regarding your posture, deep core, glutes and hips, legs and feet.
All of the exercises for your neck, shoulders, and upper and middle back are taught in the systematic, progressive, clearly-explained way that makes my programs so successful.
Just like the Heal Your Back Handbook you get when you complete your first Hauber Method™ workshop, when you enroll in Series C, you’ll receive my Save Your Neck & Shoulders Handbook.
This handbook, along with the Series C workshops, includes:
Get started on your journey to pain free!
This handbook, along with the Series C workshops, includes:
- Thorough explanation of the physical factors that cause your neck, shoulders, and upper back to ache
- Details about what muscles must be stretched and which must be strengthened, and specific instruction on how to do each move exactly right when you’re at home
- Special considerations for rotator cuff injuries and how to heal them without surgery (really!)
- Exercises that help you avoid the ugly "dowager's hump" as you age
- Exercises and stretches that help men avoid that silly-looking "ape walk" that comes when chest presses and push-ups are overemphasized at the expense of middle-back exercises
- Details on which strength-training exercises to avoid altogether if you want to eliminate pain in your neck, shoulders, and upper back
- And of course, recommendations for how to integrate neck and shoulder exercises into your existing practice of the Hauber Method™ exercises for back pain.
Get started on your journey to pain free!
Due to Covid-19, all in-person workshops are on hold. However, you can benefit from one-on-one online training in the Hauber Method™, including the neck- and shoulder-pain exercises and stretches taught in Series C workshops!
Simply click the button below to begin your journey to better posture and pain free joints.
Simply click the button below to begin your journey to better posture and pain free joints.
"Stop Neck and Shoulder Pain" Written by Sara Hauber.
First published in 2014; updated and republished January 11, 2021.
First published in 2014; updated and republished January 11, 2021.