Shoulder Rehab Exercises That Sorted Out My Rotator Cuff Injury

Any sort of physical exercise, even shoulder rehab exercises are the last thing you are thinking of when you have managed to tear a rotator cuff. You tend to spend your time thinking up inventive ways of moving and doing everyday jobs just to avoid movement because it can be so painful. There are some movements that can be impossible simply because of the pain.

The problem is that when these muscles are damaged they can get inflamed and because they are all so closely linked the inflammation can cause pain. If like me, you manage to get  an impinged shoulder, carrying on using your shoulder can actually cause more damage as the swollen tendons rub against the bone.

So how do you go about sorting it out and when is the best time to start shoulder rehab exercises.

Rest, and plenty of it, is the order of the day with any shoulder injury. These are comparatively small but important muscles that pull the arm into the shoulder and stop dislocation. They are used the most when we raise our arms above shoulder height which is why this is often the most painful movement when they are injured.

By rest, I mean exactly that. Avoid any movement that causes pain as this is likely to be an indication that you are doing more harm. You will need to change how you work. I found that I needed to move my phone across the desk at work as I was answering it using my bad arm and getting pain every time. I also had to stop driving for about three weeks as I drive a vintage car with no power steering.  Not good for shoulders.

While you are resting the arm, treat any inflammation with anti-inflammatory drugs and ice packs. Carry on with this until the inflammation and pain have subsided. Stop before your body is ready and the problem will almost certainly come back as the inflammation returns..

When the inflammation has gone and the pain has reduced significantly you can begin gentle shoulder rehab exercises aimed at strengthening the rotator cuff. Do not start using weights or going to the gym. Use large weights and you are likely to exercise the wrong muscles and may well damage the rotator cuff again.

Shoulder rehab exercises focus on control and flexibility, gently stretching and strengthening the muscles and building up gradually over a few weeks. They will often be based on Pilates or Yoga as these methods of exercise use little or no weight and usually rely on your body's natural resistance to strengthen the muscles. Done properly even quite bad rotator cuff problems can be sorted out quite quickly.

And once the problem is fixed, you can use the same exercises to keep your rotator cuff strong and avoid future injuries.