Rotator Cuff Exercises For the Shoulder

If you have injured your shoulder and seen a physician about it, he/she will probably recommend a prescribed plan of exercise to see if it relieves the symptoms. This is almost always the first course of action before surgery. You will be instructed to rest the shoulder, apply ice and/or heat, take an over the counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen, and follow the exercise plan set forth by a physical therapist. This exercise plan will work to help to relieve any stiffness, pain, or weakness caused by your injury. If, after working the exercise program for a while, your symptoms have not improved, then you may be faced with making the decision to have surgery to repair your shoulder. After surgery, you will again need to see a physical therapist for more exercise to strengthen the shoulder. During your rehabilitation period, you will need to refrain from reaching behind you or pulling your shoulder in any way that will strain the rotator cuff. Also, when you first start the rotator cuff exercises, especially if you have had surgery, you will need to start out very slow and ease into more intense exercise. You will need to consult with your physician or physical therapist before stepping up your exercise program to be sure that the added strain will not cause you to re-injure your shoulder in any way. Under no circumstances should you return to normal activities without first consulting your physician. The last thing you want to do is risk a re-injury.

Examples of rotator cuff exercises that are often used to rehabilitate a shoulder after injury or surgery include those that are designed to restore strength to the shoulder and those that will help you to restore range of motion and flexibility. If any of your exercises causes you pain in your shoulder then you need to stop that exercise immediately and talk to your physical therapist before continuing. You may have re-injured your shoulder or you may need to modify your exercises somewhat. As you are doing the rotator cuff exercises that have been prescribed for your rehabilitation, you need to remember to take them seriously. They are something that you will need to do every day for the rest of your life. This is because a torn rotator cuff is very easy to re-injure and if you do not keep the shoulder strong and flexible the chances of a new injury are very great. You will need to continue your strength and stretching exercises long after your shoulder has healed. By Bob Downe

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Rotator Cuff Exercises - Prevent Injuries Before They Happen

Many people who engage in various sports activities do not do any rotator cuff exercises or any other warm up exercises. Of course, the warm up has to be done before you start your main workout or any kind of sports games (golf, football, tennis etc.). The reasons for not doing any warn up are usually laziness or ignorance, but the out can very well be severe. Take Golfers for example. Many people believe that Golf is a game for people who are too lazy to do any other, more intensive sports. That may be so, but will you be surprised to learn that thousands of golfers each year suffer form rotator cuff injuries, and seek medical help accordingly? These folks could have treated themselves better, and would have saved themselves a world of pain, and medical bills. Same story applies for people who do other sorts of sports, work out in the gum, swim in the pool etc. Please don't get me wrong. I'm all for sports - it still has more advantages than dis advantages. And I do work out in the gum 3 times a week. The thing is - you need to acquire a few useful habits that will help you avid these kind of problems. So, how could you make the best of your workout, and still have the best chance of avoiding rotator-cuff problems.

Let's look at some tips: 1. You need to warm up. Even 2 minutes of warm up before hitting the golf course, to the swimming pool will go a long way to help you stay on the safe side. There is a great verity of rotator cuff exercises aimed at loosening the area and making it lees vulnerable to stress and pain. 2. Stay fit and strengthen your muscles and tendons. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and their tendons that are responsible for the connection of the upper arm and the shoulder blade. Indeed, a very important group. Take good care of them by regularly doing exercises to strengthen the area. This will help you cope with all the strain and effort that area observes while doing an activity like swimming or golfing. Thus, reduce the chances of injury. 3. Consult your doctor. Especially if you had problems before, Consult your doctor regularly. This just might save you from and potential problems. 4. Listen to your body. If your rotator cuff is in pain, don't push it. Take a rest, and see a doctor. Most problems are easy to fix if you attend them at the beginning and don't wait till it gets worse. The best way to deal with a problem is to avid creating it. Regular rotator cuff exercises will help you to build strength and endurance to the area, and will lessen the risk of getting hurt along the way. By: Dave Green

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Rotator Cuff Exercises - Exercises You Can Do With Rotator Cuff Injury

Rotator cuff exercises will restore strength and mobility in the shoulder, eliminate pain and help strengthen the shoulder to prevent future rotator cuff injuries. None of the following rotator cuff injury exercises should cause pain. If they do, stop and talk to your medical professional for advice. Exercise 1. This exercise will help loosen up the shoulder before getting into the other rotator cuff exercises. Stand with your feet shoulder wide and bend over so you are horizontal to the floor. Slowly rotate your bad arm in small circle motions gradually increasing the width of the circles. Do fifteen rotations and 3 sets. Exercise 2. Using your injured arm, reach up and across the chest and put the arm behind the shoulder. Now place your other hand behind the elbow and apply gentle pushing. Hold the stretch for about 10 seconds and repeat 3 or 4 times. Exercise 3. Grab a towel and using your good arm, sling it across your good shoulder. Reach behind your back with your injured arm and grasp the towel. Smoothly pull on the towel so it pulls the injured arm upward. Hold for at least 10 seconds and do 3 to 4 sets. This exercise can be difficult to do in the initial stages of a rotator cuff injury so if it causes to much pain don't do it.

Exercise 4. Find a door frame or use the corner of a room. Place both hands on the edge of the frame and gently lean forward. Hold the stretch for ten seconds and repeat 3-4 times. Exercise 5. For this and the following rotator cuff exercises you will need a piece of rubber tubing about 2 to 3 feet long. Grip the tubing with both hands horizontal to the floor (you can do this exercise either sitting or standing). Now, tuck the elbow of the injured arm into your side and rotate the hand outwards. Hold for 10 seconds and do 3 or 4 sets. Exercise 6. Side raises. Grab your rubber tubing. Let one end dangle on the floor and stand on it. Gently lift your injured arm out from your side. Hold for ten seconds and repeat 3-4 times. Exercise 7. Front raises. This is similar to the previous rotator cuff exercises except you will lift your arm to the front rather than the side. Again, stand on the end of the tubing and then slowly raise your injured arm up to the front of your body as far as it will go. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 3-4 times. These are just a few basic rotator cuff exercises to get you started before starting a more advanced rotator cuff strengthening program which will help prevent future injuries. Stretching however, is the best way to start conditioning muscles and tendons of the shoulders. Stretching improves flexibility and mobility. Do them every day and avoid exercises and movements that will make you reach up. This will further impinge the tendons and talk to your doctor or physio about other rotator cuff exercises and the correct form for each. Good luck with your dodgy shoulders! By: Steven Jay

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