Rotator Cuff Exercise - The Secret of Pain Free Shoulders



Posted: Sunday, January 03, 2010

by Nick Bryant

If you have ever felt a sharp pain or dull ache in your shoulder or upper arm, have trouble reaching behind you or are unable to get comfortable at night because of shoulder pain, then you have probably damaged your rotator cuff.

Rotator cuff problems are one of the most common shoulder injuries. Over eight million people in the USA will go to their doctor with shoulder problems this year and the vast majority will be injuries such as tendonitis, bursitis and cuff tears. The rotator cuff is made up of four relatively small muscles that all run from the scapula or shoulder blade to the head of the humerus or upper arm bome. Their job is to hold the arm into the socket of the joint stabilizing the shoulder as we move. They also help to move the shoulder whenever we rotate the arm.

The most common injury is to the supraspinatus tendon which helps when we raise our arm and is at most risk of injury when we lift our arms above our shoulders. With a supraspinatus tear you will experience an ongoing pain in your upper arm with sharp pain in your shoulder when you raise your arm. The arm will get weaker and you will experience difficulty lifting it as well as night time pain.

It might be, that rather than a torn rotator cuff, you have severe tendonitis which can present with very similar symptoms. The best way to get an accurate diagnosis is with an MRI scan.

You are more likely to need surgery if you have torn your rotator cuff. Tendonitis ,on the other hand, will usually respond well to rest, treatment with ice packs and anti-inflammatory drugs followed by rotator cuff exercises aimed at strengthening and rehabilitating the rotator cuff.

Tears are comparatively rare in younger people. They tend to come along as we get older and our muscles weaken although younger people who play repetitive overhead sports can be at risk. Swimmers, baseball players and gymnasts often suffer from rotator cuff tears.

Recent research has shown that a lot of people can get by perfectly well with a rotator cuff tear. A lot will depend on the level of pain that you experience and the level of activity or type of activity that you intend to carry out. The main reason for surgery is to help with pain relief rather than to restore movement. Recovery from surgery can take up to eighteen months depending on the severity of the injury. Tendonitis on the other hand can usually be resolved within four to six weeks.

Which is why it is important to treat shoulder injuries sooner rather than later to avoid things getting worse.. Tendonitis that is ignored can develop into a tear that will require a much longer rehabilitation time or even surgery to rectify.

One of the most important things, as we get older, is to condition and stretch our shoulders before we do any serious exercise with them. A few shoulder stretches done before playing baseball with the kids can save you from weeks of pain and inconvenience. And if you are over forty and still have healthy shoulders a few rotator cuff exercises will go a long way towards avoiding potential problems.

If you liked this article and would like to know more about rotator cuff exercises that fixed my shoulder check out my blog 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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