How To Fix Your Rotator Cuff Injury

Rotator Cuff Weight Exercises - Heal Your Shoulder Naturally

2008-10-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

Suffering from shoulder pain? Are you looking for a way to strengthen and/or heal your rotator cuff? Luckily there are many very effective rotator cuff exercises that, when done properly and consistently, will eventually heal and strengthen this complex and delicate area of the body. It's possible to heal an injured rotator cuff naturally... and possibly avoid surgery.

A good rotator cuff exercise program should consist of both stretching and strengthening exercises. Stretching increase mobility and range of motion as well as improving circulation. The small muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff don't receive a lot of blood flow, so improving circulation with stretching, massage and applying heat is important to the overall healing process.

In this article we are mainly focusing on strengthening exercises using light weights.

When performing rotator cuff exercises, pay very close attention to proper form. The rotator cuff is made up of many small muscles and tendons... it's crucial that you isolate these muscles via good form. Also, these are endurance muscles so low weight and high reps are the name of the game. Start with 3-4 set of 15 repetitions and eventually progress to 5 sets of 20+ reps.

The following website has a few good examples of rotator cuff weight exercises as well as pictures to guide you. This is not a substitute for enrolling in a professional therapy program http://familydoctor.org/handouts/265.html

Rotator cuff weight exercises, if performed correctly, can do wonders for healing and strengthening your shoulder. Read More....

To Your Recovery!

How to Avoid Surgery

2008-10-10T05:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes shoulder surgery can be avoided by incorporating a safe exercise routine into your day.

Here is a complete step-by-step shoulder rehabilitation system you can use from the comfort of your home. Avoid surgery with a proven blueprint for fixing your shoulder injuries!

To Your Recovery!

Rotator Cuff 101

2008-10-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

There's so much information on the internet about what the rotator cuff is. I don't want to fill this blog with basic info you may already know.

This blog's main focus is to showcase safe exercises and stretches to help in rotator injury recovery.

But if you're looking for a rundown on things like:

what the rotator cuff is,
how it is injured,
signs and symptoms of injury,
when to seek medical advice, and the
various treatments,

then check out this Rotator Cuff 101 article.

To Your Recovery!

Misidentifications of Rotator Cuff

2008-10-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Misidentifications of Rotator Cuff

The rotator cuff is the name for the tendons that surround the shoulder joint. The rotator cuff is actually a group of four muscles and their tendons that wraps around the front, back, and top of the shoulder joint.

The rotator cuff is often misidentified as the:

Rotary Cuff
Rotary Cup
Rotor Cup
Rotator Cup

The proper name is: rotator cuff.

The rotator cuff is the name given to these tendons that often become injured and inflamed causing shoulder pain.
excerpt from Rotator Cup? Rotary Cup? What do you call that shoulder problem?

To Your Recovery!

Dangerous Shoulder Exercises

2008-10-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

Learn how 5 common exercises at the gym can absolutely ruin your shoulders! See how to modify these exercises for optimal health.

1. Bench Press

2. Lat Pull Downs

3. Military Press

4. Dips/Upright Rows

5. Dumbbell Lateral Raise

from Dangerous Shoulder Exercises

Learn how to develop your own safe-to-perform, rotator injury exercise plan.

To Your Recovery!

Rotator Cuff Injury Exercise #3: Posterior Capsule Stretch

2008-09-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Posterior Capsule Stretch

To stretch the posterior rotator cuff and shoulder: Standing with arm in front of you with your elbow bent, use the opposite hand to hold underneath, just above the elbow. Slowly pull across your body toward the opposite shoulder. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds. This stretch is performed to the point where you will feel a pull against the shoulder tightness, but not to the point of pain.

(Click here for picture instructions)

Learn how to develop your own safe-to-perform rotator injury exercise plan.

To Your Recovery!

Rotator Cuff Injury Assessment: Hawkins-Kennedy Test

2008-09-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hawkins-Kennedy Test (see video below)

There are a series of tests an examiner may perform to determine whether your rotator cuff is injured and the severity of the injury.

In the Hawkins-Kennedy test, your arm will be raised in front of you to 90° and the elbow bent, and the arm will be turned towards the middle of your body. If this causes pain you probably have a problem with Supraspinatus.

To Your Recovery!

Rotator Cuff Injury Exercise #2: External Rotation

2008-09-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

External Rotation (see video below too)

1. Lying on the left side, grasp a light dumbbell in the right hand with the right arm pronated () and bent 90. Maintain this position throughout the set.

2. Using the right elbow as a pivot point against the side of the waist, externally rotate the arm upward until it is almost vertical.

3. The set should last about 90 -120 seconds for rehabilitation and about 50-70 seconds for general strength and conditioning.

4. Repeat with the opposite arm.

5. As strength improves, increase the weight.

Here's how it looks:

Learn how to develop your own safe-to-do rotator injury exercise plan.

To Your Recovery!

Rotator Cuff Injury Exercise #1: Arm/Shoulder Pendulum

2008-09-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Arm/Shoulder Pendulum Exercise (see video below too)

This gentle motion stimulates receptors in the shoulder joint and helps to increase joint space and reduce pain. This is also a good warm-up activity prior to shoulder exercises. You can eventually add a small weight or soup can to increase the effect.

It is important to let the motion of the body direct the shoulder and not to forcefully move the shoulder in circles. The arm should hang as though it were limp and follow the lead of the body.

I generally recommend doing 20-30 repetitions of this exercise 1-2 times per day. If it causes pain, then reduce the radius of the circles or simply wait until it can be done pain free. This is even more effective if you perform it after a warm shower or applying moist heat to the shoulder for 10-15 minutes.

excerpt from 7 Tips to Overcoming Frozen Shoulder

Learn how to develop your own safe-to-do, rotator injury exercise plan.

To Your Recovery!