Shoulder Rehab Exercises Fixed My Torn Rotator Cuff



Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009

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The one common denominator in all shoulder rehab is that you are going to have to exercise your shoulder it at some point to get it pain free and moving again. Whether this is instead of an operation or after an operation can depend on how you treat your shoulder in the meantime.

I managed to tear my rotator cuff lifting something that was too heavy resulting in too much force being put on my rotator cuff tendons in my left shoulder. They tore. I knew as soon as I did it because I heard a pop. Just a quiet pop but I knew that I had done something bad. What I had was an acute tear. It is the result of a sudden force. You can also get acute tears as the result of a fall or knock but the commonest cause is through sports, specifically sports where you are throwing which is why rotator cuff syndrome is often refered to as pitchers shoulder.

If you have an acute tear you need to immobilise your shoulder for a week or two to let it heal before you start any king of shoulder rehab regime. Using a sling is great but definitely try to avoid any action that causes pain or discomfort or you will just make the injury worse possibly needing corrective surgery. You also need to treat the inflammation using anti-inflammatory drugs and ice packs. If the pain continues for more than two or three days see your doctor who may administer a steroid injection to quickly bring down inflammation. Once the pain and inflammation have subsided you can start exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. These will often be pilates or Yoga based as they focus on restoring flexibility and control as well as strength which is vital to avoid future problems.

A chronic tear on the other hand comes about through wear and tear. It usually occurs in the over forties as our posture changes but can also happen to anyone who works overhead a lot such as painters and decorators. A Chronic tear is caused by tendons getting rubbed against bone in our shoulder. It tends to start gradually with you experiencing night pain in your shoulder and the pain gradually gets worse over time as the tendon gets more and more frayed. Your shoulder becomes gradually weaker and you will start to experience pain as you lift your arm. A tendon can snap completely if this condition is ignored but this is fairly uncommon simply because people tend to seek help because of the discomfort.

With a chronic tear you will again need to focus on reducing inflammation and managing the pain. Try avoiding any painful movements as this will help but in order to rehabilitate the shoulder you need to address the underlying problem. If this is age related, exercises to improve posture will help. Again Pilates and Yoga based exercises are good as they focus on flexibility and control and also tend to improve core strength which can directly affect your posture. Get your posture back to how it should be and healthy shoulders quickly follow.

My main tip for getting your shoulder back to full working order is rest. Do not ignore this one tip like I did which is why I ended up in pain for six months and facing surgery.

However you have managed to injure your rotator cuff carrying on regardless will only make things worse. Resting your shoulder is not easy, especially if it is your dominant arm simply because you use your arms all the time and they are attached to yoru shoulder. Try to change the way you work to avoid any action that causes pain. Simple things like moving things on your desk at work can make a huge difference as can giving up driving for a few weeks. Not convenient but it will definitely help in the long run. Only when the inflammation and pain has subsided is it safe to start shoulder rehab exercises.

And once your shoulder is better, keep up the exercises and keep your shoulders strong.

Having torn my rotator cuff and ending up with a shoulder impingement I started to research shoulders and shoulder rehab exercises to better understand my own injury. Read more at http://www.strongershoulders.com
Nick Bryant lives in Shropshire in the UK with his wife and two young children where he is a director in their family recruitment business. His hobbies and interests tend to be family orientated and focussed on the outdoors and sporting activities. He is the proud owner of a vintage VW camper and he and his family spend a great deal of their spare time at the coast camping, body-boarding and surfing in the summer months. He is also a keen golfer. He writes on a number of subjects around personal health and well being and has recently started a blog at http://www.strongershoulders.com.
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