Rehabbing Shoulder Pain in Barbell Weightlifting and CrossFit: A Guide
Shoulder pain is one of the most common issues athletes face in barbell training and CrossFit. Whether you’re grinding through snatches, overhead presses, or high-rep kipping pull-ups, the demands on the shoulder joint are intense—and without proper care, they can lead to nagging pain or worse, injury. Fortunately, shoulder pain doesn’t have to mean time away from training. With a structured rehab approach, smart modifications, and evidence-informed recovery tools like dry needling and spinal manipulation, you can return to pain-free performance.
Understanding Shoulder Pain in Strength Sports
The shoulder is a highly mobile joint, which makes it great for dynamic overhead movement but also more susceptible to instability and overuse injuries. Common contributors to shoulder pain in barbell and CrossFit athletes include:
Poor scapular control during overhead lifts
Limited thoracic spine mobility
Weakness or imbalance in the rotator cuff and shoulder blade stabilizers
High-volume overhead or kipping movements without adequate strength or volume practice to do so
Recognizing these underlying factors is step one. Step two is addressing them head-on through a blend of mobility, stability, and recovery techniques.
Rehab Basics: What We Believe You Should Focus On
A solid shoulder rehab plan should include:
1. Mobility Work Where Needed:
Target the thoracic spine, posterior shoulder capsule, and lats. Often people are doing TOO much mobility work though, so you need to assess and not guess… that is where we come in and would gladly help!
2. Scapular Control:
Drills like wall slides, prone YTWs, and serratus activation exercises (e.g., push-up plus) retrain shoulder stability, which is critical for barbell and gymnastics movements. These are a great entry point, but rehab goes much further than this. Our expertise is treating barbell and CrossFit athletes with shoulder pain.
3. Eccentric Strengthening:
Slow, controlled lowering during external rotations and banded pull-aparts can strengthen the rotator cuff and improve tendon health.
4. Load Management:
Scale volume and intensity temporarily. Replace aggravating movements (e.g., overhead pressing) with pain-free alternatives (e.g., landmine press, incline pressing). This is where we see many people get lost or confused. Find a trusted physical therapist that can appropriately guide you through these!
Dry Needling for Shoulder Pain
Dry needling is a great tool used by our team physical therapists to target trigger points and reduce myofascial tension. For barbell and CrossFit athletes dealing with shoulder pain, dry needling can:
Decrease the sensation of tightness in the upper traps, and shoulder muscles
Improve range of motion
Accelerate recovery from overuse and improve blood flow to healing tissue
Many athletes report immediate improvements in mobility and pain reduction after treatment. When used alongside active rehab, it can speed up the return to training. This is where we believe we thrive in our treatment approach.
Spinal Manipulation: Resetting Movement Patterns
Thoracic spine stiffness is a major player in poor shoulder mechanics. If you can’t extend through your upper back, your shoulder compensates—and that’s a recipe we don’t want you to experience! Spinal manipulation, especially of the thoracic spine, can:
Improve posture and mobility in overhead positions
Help reset faulty movement patterns
Alleviate joint restrictions that contribute to impingement
Our whole staff of physical therapists are expertly trained in manual therapy, including spinal manipulation. It is a very safe, quick, and often very effective technique when appropriate. Similar to dry needling, it’s best used in conjunction with mobility and stability exercises to ensure long-term change.
Don’t Skip the Basics
While manual therapies like dry needling and spinal manipulation can work wonders, they’re not magic bullets. You still need to put in the work: warm up properly, follow your rehab exercises consistently, and listen to your body. Pain is often your body’s way of telling you something needs to change—whether it’s technique, volume, or recovery habits.
Shoulder pain doesn’t have to derail your training. With the right rehab approach, including strategic mobility work, strengthening, and tools like dry needling and spinal manipulation, you can not only recover but come back stronger and more resilient. Don’t just aim to fix the pain—fix the problem.
Looking to tackle your shoulder pain? Interested in dry needling? Let’s chat! We would be happy to discuss further how Loon State Physical Therapy can be a teammate in getting you back to moving and feeling your best! Our convenient Minneapolis physical therapy and Edina physical therapy locations will happily see you to get you back to moving at your best. Call us at (612) 405-8503 or book with us online at www.loonstatephysicaltherapy.com for an in-person or virtual appointment.
Let’s get to it!
Andrew Eccles
Owner and Physical Therapist at Loon State Physical Therapy
