Onward Physical Therapy Blog

Are you struggling with CrossFit shoulder pain? Shoulder pain is one of the most common injuries we see limiting CrossFit athletes in the gym, but that does not mean you need to continue dealing with it. We often find that the large muscles in the shoulders (lats/delts) get overworked and the smaller muscles in the back of the shoulder are...

Shoulder impingement (now more commonly called rotator cuff tendinopathy) is one of the most frequent conditions we treat at Onward in Charlotte, NC because of our highly active patient population. With highly active populations such as CrossFitters and weightlifters there are a few key areas to address if we want to rapidly improve shoulder impingement pain. Step One: Strengthen the...

You get the notification for tomorrow’s WOD. Before you even look, your mind is already racing with thoughts like, “PLEASE, anything but thrusters!” or “Not pull-ups again!” Your shoulders are still begging for some relief after snatching popped up a few days ago. Essentially, you’re hoping for anything that will give them a break. CrossFit, in its constantly varied nature,...

Dealing with shoulder pain? Limited mobility hurting your performance in overhead lifts? No worries…we’ve got you covered with these exercises designed to open up your shoulder mobility! Prayer Stretch First, we have the prayer stretch (aka the bench stretch). This is a very easy to set up drill with only a bench, couch, or chair needed. However, a few subtle...

Your upper back mobility is incredibly important for athletic performance and rehabilitating from injuries to your low back, shoulders, and neck. When stiff it can put extra stress on each of these areas so mobilizing these joints can be very important. Here are a few of our favorite thoracic spine mobility exercises. Foam Roller Thoracic Spine Extensions Up first is...