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 It may come as a surprise that women are more likely to injure their shoulders than men - and that means women from childhood through the senior years. Flexibility, hormones, and aging all work together to make women more susceptible to shoulder and other joint problems that, left untreated, can lead to severe pain, surgery, even shoulder replacement. There are many reports that support the relationship between a woman's menstrual cycle and joint injuries. The culprit may be the hormone Relaxin, the hormone responsible for loosening the pelvic ligaments to aid in child birth. Levels of Relaxin naturally increase with ovulation, making this a time when women playing sports or working out are more prone to joint injuries, including the shoulder. This is the time to listen to your body. Don't overdo it. As women age, a frozen or stiff shoulder joint that makes simple activities like reaching back to clasp a bra difficult and painful affects more and more women. Changes in hormone levels are responsible. Menopause is a time when more women experience a frozen shoulder than at other time in their lives. Many physicians speculate that the changes in a woman's hormones set off a flow of events, including inflammatory disorders. Aging has many benefits but, when it comes to women and rotator cuff tears, aging is not on their side. The ligaments and tendons are getting stiffer and the bone to which the ligaments and tendons are rooted becomes more porous, making it easier for the tendon "roots" to pull out. A rotator cuff tear for a woman after age 60 can really make life miserable. On a more positive note, recent advancements in shoulder surgery allow women (and men) to get back into the game faster and in better shape than was ever imagined. Surgical advancements aside, there is nothing that substitutes for prevention. A balanced diet and a well-rounded fitness program during a woman's formative years go a long way to promote bone density and muscular development that help avoid many shoulder problems for young women and for women later in life. Here are some guidelines for avoiding shoulder injuries. 5 WAYS WOMEN CAN AVOID SHOULDER INJURIES
Don't overdo it during your menstrual cycle Pay close attention to your body. Remember: Your hormones are at work, loosening up your ligaments. This is the time to take a breather and give your body a chance to slow down a pace or two. Mix it up with a well-rounded exercise program Balance shoulder-intensive activities like swimming, volleyball, and tennis with other activities that give your shoulders a rest. If a gym workout is what you enjoy, follow a day of weight-bearing exercises with cardio activities. Work on strengthening your core You may think of your core as your abdominal muscles. But the core is made up of the entire middle section of your body, starting at your shoulders and going all the way down to your groin - in both the front and back. The majority of the power for sports like swimming, tennis, volleyball, and gymnastics - and most everyday activities - comes from a strong and stable core. Get into the routine of doing body core exercises like those that strengthen and flatten your stomach. Take care to be gentle on your joints while working on building muscle. Don't forget to stretch Stretching is often called the "stepchild" of exercise. Most people would rather forget about stretching. But stretching increases your range of motion by allowing your joints and limbs to move further, making them more flexible. If you're limber and well warmed up each day, your body can move more easily. Inflexible and cold joints and limbs increase the risk of injury. Warm up before you stretch, stretch only until you feel some tension, not pain, avoid bouncing in a stretch, and keep at it. Maintenance is the key. Maintain a balanced diet The importance of a balanced diet in preventing joint injuries cannot be overstated. One of the problems facing younger women is called the "terrible triad" - eating disorder, amenorrhea (not having a period), and osteoporosis. Poor eating habits combined with the emphasis on being thin (and overtraining for serious athletes) can create devastating consequences later in life. A balanced diet during a woman's formative years will help promote bone density and good muscle development. New diets crop up like weeds in a summer garden. But the most sensible among them all encourage eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fat-free milk or milk products, limited saturated fats and salt and lean meat and poultry.
Dr. Vivek Agrawal, founder and medical director of the The Shoulder Center in Indiana, specializes in providing innovative treatments for regular and complex shoulder problems, including revising failed surgeries. Dr. Agrawal has performed thousands of arthroscopic repairs, and is an expert in shoulder reconstruction. He was the first to bring the Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement procedure to Indiana. Dr. Agrawal is one of just a handful of surgeons skilled at using arthroscopic techniques to repair the most complex and large tears in the shoulder. |
