Relationship Between your Shoulder and Your Wrist
Pole dancers often suffer with elbow and wrist pain and/or weakness. Often the relationship between the wrists and the shoulders is ignored, or not taken into considering by healthcare professionals (due to a lack of understanding about our dance form).
Studies have shown that these issues in the wrist and elbow can be rehabilitated purely by addressing weaknesses in the shoulder, specifically the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff are the small stabiliser muscles within the shoulder joint.
When you grip your hands around the pole, or even just in day to day use, within a good functioning shoulder the rotator cuff will engage to help stabilise the whole limb. But if you have a weak shoulder, then grip a lot like we do in pole, the forearm muscles will start to overwork, taking over as there isn’t enough help coming from the shoulder. This can cause overuse injuries in the forearm muscles, such as tendinopathies more commonly know as golfers or tennis elbow.
This isn’t a be all and end all, it’s just an important relationship to be aware of so that you can put in the work to reduce the risk of getting wrist and elbow injuries by keeping your shoulder stable and strong. If you already have pain in the elbow, I highly recommend seeing a healthcare professional who does understand pole dance as there are specific ways to rehabilitate an tendinopathy when it is already causing pain.
Studies have shown that these issues in the wrist and elbow can be rehabilitated purely by addressing weaknesses in the shoulder, specifically the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff are the small stabiliser muscles within the shoulder joint.
When you grip your hands around the pole, or even just in day to day use, within a good functioning shoulder the rotator cuff will engage to help stabilise the whole limb. But if you have a weak shoulder, then grip a lot like we do in pole, the forearm muscles will start to overwork, taking over as there isn’t enough help coming from the shoulder. This can cause overuse injuries in the forearm muscles, such as tendinopathies more commonly know as golfers or tennis elbow.
This isn’t a be all and end all, it’s just an important relationship to be aware of so that you can put in the work to reduce the risk of getting wrist and elbow injuries by keeping your shoulder stable and strong. If you already have pain in the elbow, I highly recommend seeing a healthcare professional who does understand pole dance as there are specific ways to rehabilitate an tendinopathy when it is already causing pain.
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