One Arm Moves Different Than the Other, Is that Normal?
Written by Calvin Thai PT,DPT
Often times when I see a new patient for a shoulder or elbow, people freak out when they notice things like “why does this side look different from that side?” Here’s a couple of reasons why it could be happening:
You played a throwing or overhead sport growing up.
Fun fact: when you are a kid or teenager, your body can adapt in different ways, one of them being the way your shoulder physically moves. People who do these repetitive movements as adolescents mold their shoulder to usually have increased external rotation and decreased internal rotation. This difference usually causes the arms to learn how to do movement patterns differently.
You had a previous injury on one side.
The body is a constant learning machine and it knows a lot more than what you can consciously remember. You get injured, you baby the injury, your body learns how to do specific movements without using what you injured. Do this long enough and bam, it is a habit now. This is where a physical therapist comes in. They can prevent you from developing these patterns post injury. Remember we are the movement experts!
You are just built different, literally.
People come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes when we are born or developing, not things aren’t going to be symmetrical. Things like scoliosis or natural bone length differences exist, so you could just be naturally asymmetrical.
You just got injured.
This one may be obvious, but the body doesn’t want to use things that are freshly injured. It is our bodies natural response to protect itself.
Overall, these are just a few common things I see in clinic. Whether these are a problem or not, that depends. Honestly, the main way to find out is to see a physical therapist. When you do, we will take your medical history and assess if there are real concerns. One thing I tell my clients is that I have never met a perfectly symmetrical human, but we do aim for 90%+ symmetry. So just becase things “look” different, doesn’t always mean it is a problem.
Let’s chat! Book an assessment and let’s get you back to feeling good in your body.
No referrals, no waiting, just answers. Did you know that we offer free 1-on-1 injury screens? Wattage Physical Therapy will take an in depth look at your ergonomics, posture, muscle tone, muscle weaknesses, and movement patterns to create a plan for YOU. If this article intrigues you, you can directly email me, Kelsie at Calvin@wattagept.com. I would be happy to help you start the process of living a life free from pain.