MOBILITY MONDAY: Shoulder Internal Rotation
What is shoulder internal rotation and what makes it important?
Mobility Monday is TE3’s weekly info corner about mobility.
This week we are focusing on our shoulders and more specifically, the shoulder internal rotation. Everyone has probably rolled their shoulders, but did you know that the shoulder is our most mobile joint? It is powered by many muscles, which of some are dedicated to rotate the shoulder in and others out. Can you imagine what would happen if these muscles weren’t able to do that?
Everyday life
In everyday life, the shoulder internal rotation allows you to reach behind your back. Whether it was getting something from your back pocket or reaching to scratch your back, shoulder internal rotation allows you to do that.
Exercising and performance
With athletes and exercising, the shoulder internal rotation allows you to keep the bar close to the body.
For example during exercises like the clean and the snatch, the barbell should be kept close to the body. As the movement proceeds, the elbows should be kept high and outside, which puts the shoulder into an internally rotated position. Limited range of motion in shoulder internal rotation may then potentially increase the risk of injury, but also limit the performance.
Shoulder internal rotation is one of the movements tested in the TE3 Mobility Analysis.
