An Ounce of Prevention…and Your Shoulder will “Thank You”

There is a common saying that states, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” or something to that effect. The point being that it is much easier and less costly (physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, etc.) to address a potential problem while it is still a “potential” problem than after it has become a full-blown situation.

For example, it is much less costly to have that pesky oil leak that has just appeared on your garage floor repaired than it is to ignore the leak and have the motor “lock up”. If you ignore the problem (the leak) and the motor seizes (locks up, freezes) then you are going to have to deal with a plethora of additional costs:

1. You’ll probably have to get the vehicle towed to a repair facility ($ – minimal financial cost)
2. You may be at the mercy of a “local” auto repair facility (can you trust them?, will they do a good repair job?, is getting your vehicle repaired in a timely fashion high on their agenda? – all of these are mental and emotional costs)
3. How will you deal with transportation while your vehicle is in the shop? ($$ – financial cost + physical cost)
4. The actual repair cost ($ – this will probably be a huge financial outlay)
5. Will this situation cause you to doubt the service of your vehicle? (mental / emotional cost)

The Logic of injury prevention

Now apply this logic to the maintenance of your body in general and your shoulder specifically. You do not become an elite athlete in one workout. Similarly, you must not stress your body beyond what it is capable of without building a foundation of support by strengthening the core and support muscles of the body.

As someone who has worked out for the majority of my life, I know how easy it is to just jump right into your workout without taking the time to stretch and warmup your muscles. However, this is not safe and it is not recommended by the experts.

Expert advice on Shoulder Injury Prevention

USA Swimming has published a super article entitled “Shoulder Injury Prevention” that addresses the issue of preventing “swimmers shoulder” before it becomes an issue by developing and maintaining the strength, endurance and flexibility of the shoulder muscles. This is an excellent article that provides a listing of exercises, pictures and explanations of the exercises and the logic of performing the exercises.

Although the article above deals with the issue of preventing shoulder injury in the swimmer, we can all learn something from it. Take the time to warm-up. Stretch your muscles and ease into your workouts. Remember it is much easier to prevent an injury than it is to deal with the consequences after an injury has occurred.

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