Rotator Cuff Exercise

September 3, 2008 by admin
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Rotator cuff exercise can be very important not only to someone who has an injury, but also to those who are aging and experiencing normal deterioration and wear and tear in the tendons and muscles in the shoulder region.

There are two different kinds of rotator cuff exercise: the stretching exercise and the strengthening exercise. The stretching exercises must be very easy for you and you must have a full range of motion before you even start to think about doing the strengthening exercises…

The following stretching exercises should be done on an average of eight to ten times per day:

• The Posterior Stretch – Using the hand of your non-injured arm, grab the elbow of the injured arm and pull gently on it, tugging across your body. When done correctly, you will feel the stretching in the back of the shoulder. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then repeat 2 times.

• The Overhead Stretch – Grab a hold of a flat surface at waist level, like a countertop. Bend forward and, keeping your arms straight, stretch the shoulders to a comfortable position. Hold this for 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat 2 times.

• The Forward Wall Climb – Face a wall and stand far enough away that you are barely able to reach it with your fingertips. Walking with the fingers of the arm that is injured, continue up the wall until the pain is too much. Walk the fingers back down and repeat 2 times. Try to reach a higher level with the fingers each time.

To help maintain or improve strength around the shoulder blade and rotator cuff, the following rotator cuff exercise routine can be performed.

• The Wall Push Up – Standing about one foot from a wall, do a push up in the same manner you would do one on the floor. As you feel your strength improving, you can slowly progress to push ups at increasing angles, and finally to push ups on the floor.

Other rotator cuff exercise programs are available for strengthening, but they should only be started and performed under the direct supervision of a physical therapist.

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