If you have a shoulder—or two—you’ve probably had times when things didn’t feel right, especially if you lead an active life or enjoy lifting. There are many possible causes of shoulder pain and many potential fixes. For a lot of people, the key is improving how the shoulder blades move on the rib cage, specifically upward rotation and protraction.
Form Fix: Forearm Wall Slide. This drill is a staple for promoting scapular upward rotation and protraction. It may look simple—just moving the forearms up and down along a foam roller—but it’s deceptively tricky.
Two common faults show up in many attempts. First, reps 1–3 can produce a depressed or pinned-down shoulder blade. Constantly cueing people to retract and depress the shoulder blades can backfire, since the scapula should move around the rib cage. Forcing it into a downward-rotated position can contribute to shoulder pain. Second, reps 4–6 often result in a shrugging pattern, with the upper traps taking over. Shrugging elevates the shoulders but doesn’t truly rotate the scapula upward.
What you want is to cue the motion as reaching toward the ceiling through the pinky finger, then leaning into the wall as the arm straightens overhead. This encourages the upper traps to participate more effectively and promotes upward rotation, with the scapula moving around the rib cage through protraction and Serratus anterior activation.
Note: performing the drill with a shirt off can increase Serratus Anterior activation by about 37%.
Choosing drills matters—the details and technique make a big difference. Shoulder issues can arise from factors like limited thoracic mobility, weakness in the glenohumeral joint, anatomical differences in the acromion, programming imbalances, or other technique flaws. Improving thoracic mobility, breathing patterns, and overall strength can help support healthier shoulders.
