Shoulder Injuries in Crossfit

If you’re a Crossfit athlete pushing to achieve high-level fitness goals, then at some point you will likely deal with an injury.  While CrossFit has not been shown to lead to higher rates of injury compared to similar fitness activities, the shoulder has been shown to be the most injured area in CrossFit participants. For that reason, it’s important to understand the reasons why the shoulder is injured and what steps can be taken to reduce injury risk.

Inappropriate Progression of Volume aka Too Much Too Soon

 The basis of the CrossFit methodology is “constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movements”.  This concept makes it a powerful fitness modality, particularly the high-intensity aspect.  However, it can be a gift and a curse for those that are new to the sport or ramp up their activity too quickly. 

High levels of intensity also require adequate recovery. When we train, we stress the muscles, connective tissue, and joints. With appropriate rest, this allows the structures to adapt, repair, and become stronger over time. Without this rest, these tissues continue to break down, become weaker, and eventually fail, leading to injury.  For those who are new to CrossFit or have taken some time off, it’s recommended to ramp up volume gradually and listen to your body.  Even for those who are experienced, a split of three days on and two days off is advised to keep intensity high while providing ample recovery between workouts.

 The video below explains this concept with a nice illustration.

Lack of Shoulder Strength

 The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. This allows for a large range of movement but also requires a large amount of strength and stability for adequate control. CrossFit, more than other similar recreational activities, requires a high level of strength and dynamic stability.

 Movements such as the snatch, jerk, handstand push-up, and kipping movements are particularly challenging for the shoulder joint and make it more susceptible to injury if a good base level of strength is not in place. The muscles surrounding the scapula and rotator cuff are the best to target when looking to improving overall strength and dynamic stabilization of the shoulder.

The following video highlights some of our favorite exercises to improve shoulder strength and stability.

Impaired Shoulder Mobility

 Lack of motion in the shoulder joint prevents the shoulder from accessing the range of motion required to perform common CrossFit movements.  The movements that typically require the highest degree of motion in the shoulder are kipping movements such as kipping pull-ups, toes-to-bar, and the muscle-up.  Kipping movements require a strong arch position in which the shoulders are taken into end-range flexion to help generate momentum and allow for high force production. 

This amount of flexion is typically beyond what typical daily activities require. We find that many individuals with impaired mobility in the shoulder have a particularly hard time accessing full shoulder flexion during these movements.  Without full range of motion in the shoulder, excessive stress is placed on the joint and soft tissues around the shoulder ultimately putting the shoulder at higher risk for injury.

The structures that we find limit shoulder mobility the most are the latissimus dorsi and pectorals.  Below are some of our go-to exercises to address these common limitations and improve mobility in the shoulder.  

Impaired Thoracic Mobility

 The thoracic spine, or the region in the mid and upper back, is a common area of impaired mobility in the spine and often overlooked when it comes to assessing shoulder mobility. When we lift our arms into an overhead position, it requires an adequate amount of extension in the thoracic spine. If motion is limited in the thoracic spine, we often see excessive strain placed on the front of the shoulder or movement compensations such as overextension at the lumbar spine. This is especially important in more complex movements such as the overhead squat in which we squat with the arms in full flexion.  If the thoracic motion is limited, we tend to see this result in excessive strain placed upon the front of the shoulder.

If you’ve got a stiff back, you need to try the exercises highlighted in the video below.

If you’re someone dealing with a shoulder injury holding you back from reaching your fitness goals, then let us help. Whether you are local to Bozeman or not, we have options available for everyone.