Movement · Shoulders

Overhead reach

Taking the arm all the way up above the head. It is not one joint but a sequence: the shoulder blade rotates upward on the ribcage, the humerus turns outward to clear the acromion, and the upper back extends slightly to let the arm finish the range. Good looks like: the arm ending beside the ear without the lower back arching, the ribs flaring, or the shoulder hitching up. Almost every part of that sequence can be the weak link, which is why overhead reach is the most informative single thing to watch in a painful shoulder.