Bench Pressing / Ergonomics

   Dropping the elbows too low while bench pressing heavy weight can cause stress injuries to the acromioclavicular joint in the shoulder.

The outer end of the collarbone, near the front and top of the shoulder, articulates with the acromion process, a bone projecting forward from the scapula. The clavicular part meets the acromion part, forming the “acromioclavicular, or AC, joint.

One of several joints making up the shoulder complex, the AC joint is particularly subject to injury because it is essentially two bones butting together, held by ligaments.

Recently a patient who had come from working out at the gym presented with shoulder pain due to over-stressing the AC joint while bench pressing.

Precise adjustments with the Activator instrument, combined with home care & ergonomic counseling, were the solution.

What's That Pain at the End of My Collarbone?

Among the several joints of the shoulder complex is an articulation at the outer end of the collarbone, the end furthest away from the center of your chest, called the AC, or acromioclavicular, joint. 

It is a common site of injury, partly because it consists of two bones that essentially just “butt together” and their ends, and are fastened together by surrounding ligaments. It is a less efficient joint than many others in the body, and is vulnerable to injury. 

In my practice, an aberrant AC joint is a common cause of patients’ shoulder pain; I have very precise adjustments which I make with my Activator instrument that help.