Most people with shoulder pain or injury have a difficult time engaging in exercise, leaving them unsure where to begin correcting painful movement issues. Improving grip strength is an integral step in strengthening not only the hand, but can improve the movement capacity of the entire upper extremity. Physiopedia.com reports that rotator cuff activity is directly correlated to grip strength, “Gripping can be used to increase the flow of neural drive to all of the muscles in the extremity. This can lead to increased stability and strength of the entire upper quarter.”
A stronger grip can provide anticipatory stability to the upper arm, improve wrist function, and help prevent injury elsewhere in the arm and shoulder girdle. The neurological connection between the rotator cuff and grip is well established in studies and should be a major part of any exercise program. Measuring and improving grip strength is easy and can pay big dividends in achieving any fitness goal.
The rotator cuff stabilizes the humerus during all phases of reach. Dysfunction leads to shoulder injury, bicep tendon tears, and overall pain in the region. Imbalanced rotator cuff muscles cause poor posture if the subscapularis, the largest of the 4 rotator cuff muscles, is short and tight, and is a key muscle in correcting rounded shoulders, or slouching.
When short and tight, this internal rotator causes chronic slouching. But the latissimus, pectoralis, and teres major are also internal rotators of the humerus and need to be ruled out as slouch contributors. The picture above shows just how many upper body muscles attach the upper arm to the torso. The grip test below challenges the rotator cuff muscles to stabilize the kettlebell and reveals weakness in the grip/rotator cuff connection.
When applying myofacial release (foam rolling) to the under arm, musculature in need of release will be tender or painful. Slight movement left to right and up and down will apply adequate pressure to the muscles and provide them temporary blood flow. This is an ideal time to stretch these muscles.
Simply hanging from a chin-up bar not only strengthens grip, but also decompresses the spine. This is one of the only ways to reverse the effects that gravity, and misaligned movement, have on the spine. Much like an inversion table, this creates space between vertebrae and relieves the pressure caused by vertebral compression. To be effective, only your hand grip should be tense with special attention paid to the thumb and first two fingers, while the rest of the torso remains relaxed. Any residual tension in the torso will decrease the efficacy of this stretch.
