Rotator Cuff Injury Exercise - What Should You Be Doing?

I had the misfortune to get a rotator cuff tear towards the end of last year which really made me think about this group of muscles and how to fix them and keep them healthy. I found out a few things that quite surprised me and if I had known then what I now know about rotator cuff injury exercise I would certainly have gone about things differently.



So read along and hopefully you can learn from my mistakes.



If you have managed to damage your rotator cuff the first step on the road to health is stop using it. No, don't put your arm in a sling but do avoid any movement that gives you pain. Easier said than done I hear you say, and you are absolutely right. We use our arms constantly, we swing them when we are walking or running. Drop something and we instinctively reach out to catch it. We use our hands and consequently our arms when we talk. Resting our arms and our shoulders goes against our nature.



However, if you do not stop using your damaged shoulder, if you carry on doing the movements that give you pain you will be damaging your arm further. Trust me, I did it! You need to change how you move and work for two or three weeks to allow the muscle to heal properly. This is because the rotator cuff can get impinged or pinched when it is damaged and inflamed. That impingement causes the tendons to fray and if you ignore it they will eventually snap which is extremely bad news.



So, whilst you are resting it as much as possible, take anti-inflammatory drugs and use ice packs to bring down the inflammation.



I made the mistake of carrying on as normal with a rotator cuff injury and made it a lot worse. I had tries anti-inflammatory drugs but half heartedly. It was only when I finally decided to rest my arm properly and maxed out on Ibuprofen for about three weeks that I actually saw any improvement.



Do not pretend to treat the inflammation. Look after your shoulder properly. If you are following a doctor's advice, follow it thoroughly, don't kid yourself.



Once you have managed to get the inflammation and pain under control do not go straight back to using your shoulder exactly as pre-injury. You need to strengthen and build up the shoulder and rotator cuff. This does not mean lifting weights and exercising the major muscles like the trapeziums. The rotator cuff is a group of relatively small muscles that help to keep the head of the humerus in the socket of the shoulder.



We use them without being aware of it and any exercise to strengthen them will not involve large weights. Rotator cuff injury exercise tends to be more Pilates based exercises concentrating on flexibility and control rather than power. Get your rotator cuff working properly and your whole shoulder will be stronger. Ignore it and you are likely to have another injury pretty soon.



So. Like I said, learn from my mistakes. Treat a rotator cuff injury seriously. Rest it properly, no matter how inconvenient it is. Treat the inflammation and soreness for a few weeks, don't stop as soon as it stops being painful, carry on for a bit. When you are ready to exercise begin with gentle exercises that focus on the rotator cuff. And keep doing the exercises when it is better. You do not want a second rotator cuff injury.