How to Strengthen Your
Rotator Cuff for Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Chances are if you are at all familiar with your rotator cuff it is
because you have injured it at some stage.
Unfortunately the group of muscles that make up the rotator cuff
are quite vulnerable to injury, especially when subject to sudden
stresses and strains that occur in some sports.
For example, throwing a ball can be very stressful to the rotator
cuff. That being said,
it’s not only those participating in sports activities who are at risk
of rotator cuff injury – the rigors of just regular daily activity can
also exact their toll on the rotator cuff, especially where excessive
repetition is involved.
So how do we avoid injuring our rotator cuff and if it’s been injured
in the past then how do we ensure the quickest recovery and minimize the
likelihood of injuring it again?
The answer lies in strength. In
truth there, are a number of factors but strength is a major factor and
the one we will cover in this article.
Quite simply: a strong rotator cuff is more likely to withstand
the demands of everyday life as well as the exertion of sporting
activities. Strong and
healthy muscles are less likely to be strained or torn and are more
resilient to higher than usual demands being placed on them.
Injury recovery will also be quicker.
So how do you strengthen your rotator cuff?
The same way you strengthen any muscles: exercise.
There are a number of exercises that directly work the muscles of
the rotator cuff and one of the easiest and most effective to do is the
one I will describe below.
Before we get to the exercise I should insert a quick few words of
warning: if you are already suffering an injury you should check with
your doctor before performing any exercise that works the injured area.
Also, if you feel any pain while exercising then back off a
little – either reduce the weight or resistance you’re using or
decrease the range of motion to within pain free limits, or, if neither
of these eliminate the pain then you should not do that exercise until
you can do it without pain.
With that out of the way, here’s how to perform the exercise:
To exercise the rotator cuff on your right hand side you lie on your
left side, on a bench if you have one or otherwise the floor is fine.
Position yourself so your upper right arm lies along the length
of your upper body and is bent 90 degrees at the elbow to make an
“L” shape with your forearm resting across your body.
Place a folded up a hand towel and position it under your right
elbow so your upper arm is supported and is parallel to the floor.
This is the starting position.
Take a very light dumbbell (it is essential to
start with a very light weight especially if recovering from an injury)
and as you exhale slowly and deliberately rotate your forearm to a
vertical position all the while keeping your elbow resting on the towel
and your upper arm along your body.
So the finish position has your upper arm along your body and
your elbow still bent at 90 degrees with your forearm vertical and your
fist pointing at the roof. Lower
slowly and repeat for at least 12-15 repetitions for each set.
This is just one simple exercise, easily and
comfortably done by anyone, that will increase the strength of your
rotator cuff. With a strong
rotator cuff you will be less likely to injure it and more likely to
recover quickly if you do happen to sustain an injury to the cuff.
You can also use this exercise as part of a post-injury
rehabilitation program but be sure to do so only under the advice of
your doctor or physical therapist.
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