Why is my shoulder not rotating fully?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I have been suffering from shoulder rotation and mobility issues when I play sports. When I throw a ball, my shoulder is not fully rotating. It is mostly the external rotation of my shoulder.

Answered by Sreenivasa Rao

Education:

BPT

Professional Bio:

Dr. Sreenivasa Rao is a well-experienced Physiotherapist with expertise in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, post-surgical and post-injury recovery, neurological and orthopedic physiotherapy, pain management, sports injury rehabilitation, geriatric and pediatric physiotherapy, posture correction, and lifestyle modification through therapeutic exercises.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Your shoulder mobility issue could be mainly due to flexibility and stability issues associated with the shoulder girdle.

This could be more pronounced, especially playing a sport involving throwing, as the flexibility is always compromised due to stability and more mobility in the joint.

Do not worry as this can be fixed easily with a couple of stretches like posterior capsule stretch and rotator cuff stretches like sleeper stretch. Keep doing these stretches and do some stability exercises. That will fix your problem once and for all. Hope this is helpful for you.

Kindly revert in case you need any further help in this regard.

For more information consult a physiotherapist.

Answered by Sreenivasa Rao
Medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team
Published At May 26, 2018
Reviewed At April 22, 2025

Education:

BPT

Professional Bio:

Dr. Sreenivasa Rao is a well-experienced Physiotherapist with expertise in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, post-surgical and post-injury recovery, neurological and orthopedic physiotherapy, pain management, sports injury rehabilitation, geriatric and pediatric physiotherapy, posture correction, and lifestyle modification through therapeutic exercises.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Education:

BPT

Professional Bio:

Dr. Sreenivasa Rao is a well-experienced Physiotherapist with expertise in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, post-surgical and post-injury recovery, neurological and orthopedic physiotherapy, pain management, sports injury rehabilitation, geriatric and pediatric physiotherapy, posture correction, and lifestyle modification through therapeutic exercises.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Listen to related tracks in our music library

Read answers about:

rotator cuff repairstretching exercisesshoulder pain

Ask your health query to a Wellness Expert online

*guaranteed answer within 4 hours

Disclaimer: No content published on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website. Read our Editorial Process to know how we create content for health articles and queries.