The most commonly injured joint in the human body has to be the shoulder. There are many reasons why the shoulder joint is injured more than any other. It has very little support from any other bone. Which is good because then we have a larger range of motion in that joint, than any other joint in the body. So how does the shoulder stay where it is? Ligaments, muscle, and tendon. We have several tendons and several muscles that hold the shoulder joint together. Hence, the common rotator cuff injury.

The rotator cuff has four muscles: supraspinatus, subscapularis, teres minor, and the infraspinatus. Supraspinatus is the most commonly injured of the four muscles. It is usually injured in a movement that you have done a thousand times with no injury. Then why did you get this injury? It could be very complicated to very simple

1. You did not warm up properly.
    
2. Too much weight without proper stabilization. (ie. too much weight on lateral raises)
    
3. Nerve impingement which does not let the muscles respond as they should.

All of these can be avoided. Proper technique in the lift, proper warm up, and removal of the Vertebral Subluxation Complex (What I do for a living as a Chiropractor) will all help. These suggestions will allow proper nerve flow, so that your mind and your body are working as one.

Proper alignment, rehab, and rest are essential in the recovery of a shoulder injury. Don't rush it. It takes time - 6 weeks to 6 months - for proper recovery, or you are destined to repeat it. Remember in this equation of rehab and rest is proper nutrition. If you don't have proper nutrition, you will not build a sound body and mind.

Note: Shoulder pain can also be related to other ailments of the heart, lungs, spleen (left shoulder only), gallbladder, stomach and duodenum, pancreas, and nerves. [TOP]
 

The most common place that the nerves of the upper limbs can get pinched or irritated is at the wrist. This type of nerve problem is called carpal tunnel syndrome because the nerve passes through a tunnel between the wrist (carpal) bones where the creases of the wrist are. Sudden trauma to the wrist or working with your hands for long hours on a daily basis can lead to the irritation of the nerve that passes through the carpal tunnel. (ie. weightlifting, computer work, etc.)

The medical remedy for the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome such as numbness, tingling or pain in the thumb, index, or middle finger, is medication and a wrist brace. The "symptoms" might feel better with the brace on or by masking the pain with drugs. This, however, is a form of "passive treatment" that does not address the problem. If the cause of the cause of the condition is not recognized and corrected early, the condition is more likely to worsen and possibly end up as a surgical case.

A commonly overlooked cause of these symptoms is a nerve problem that comes from the spine near the base of the neck. Subluxation of this area occurs when the spinal misalignments and movement restrictions occur that interfere with the nerves that lead to the wrist and hand.

Early "active" mobilization and adjustment of the structural problems of the wrist and/or spine can often lead to improvement in these cases without the use of drugs and surgery. Chiropractic care seeks to correct the cause of the condition rather than just treating the symptoms and hoping it goes away on its own. The body will usually heal the condition if the cause of the irritation is removed.

Prevention is also the key. Specific exercises to compensate for this are also warranted. Extension exercises of the wrist. (ie. reverse curls, barbell and dumbbell) Another way to prevent this from occurring in weightlifters is, proper placement of the the squat bar, in order to not subluxate vertebrae in the neck. Do not strain or pull excessively with the neck while doing any lifting exercise.

To stay healthy in the gym, use proper technique, early prevention, and treat the cause - not the symptom. [TOP]