04/06/2026
Stretching a painful shoulder might be making it worse. Here’s the science.
Most people’s first instinct when their shoulder hurts is to stretch it. It feels tight, so loosening it up must help….right?
Not always. In fact, for a large number of people dealing with shoulder pain, more flexibility is the last thing they need. What’s actually missing is stability, the ability to control the shoulder through its range of motion, not just access it.
When the muscles responsible for stabilizing the joint are underperforming, the shoulder becomes vulnerable under load. Stretching into that range without the control to support it doesn’t make the joint safer. It can make it less predictable and more irritable.
This is one of the most common reasons people stay stuck in a cycle of pain. They keep addressing the symptom (the tightness) without addressing the underlying driver, which is a lack of neuromuscular control and strength in the muscles that keep the joint centred.
A physiotherapy assessment is designed to identify exactly this. Is your shoulder lacking mobility, stability, or both? The answer changes the entire approach to treatment and getting that clarity early is what separates people who recover quickly from those who spend months guessing.
Slide through to understand the difference — and why the right approach matters.
Save this and try all 3 exercises before your next upper body session👇🏼
