The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. The four muscles of the rotator cuff are: Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Subscapularis and Teres Minor.
Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercises are a very important part when recovering from rotator cuff injury and in most cases, a non-surgical treatment is recommended first.
So Why Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercises Are Important?
Range of Motion. Strengthening exercises are very important in order to restore the shoulder its flexibility and range of motion
More Resistance. Stretching the muscles will keep it more resistant to tears and injuries while training the rotator cuff will enable you to protect yourself against weakness and the damaging effects of aging.
Circulation. The rotator cuff muscles receive little blood from the body and so increasing blood flow to the rotator cuff muscles is very important and can improve your body’s circulation.
Shoulder Movement. The muscles work like a well oiled team, helping us do countless different shoulder and arm movements that we need to do throughout the day
Strength. Rotator cuff physical therapy exercises are in special significance to sportspersons that are practicing in sports such as: baseball, softball, tennis etc, because it helps them keep their shoulders and arms strengthened and plays a preventive role in avoiding injuries.
Stabilization. Rotator cuff physical therapy exercises which include strength-building routines help stabilize the shoulder
Basic Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercises
Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercise No.1
Start by lying on your stomach on a table or a bed. Put your left arm out at shoulder level with your elbow bent to 90° and your hand down. Keep your elbow bent, and slowly raise your left hand. Stop when your hand is level with your shoulder. Lower the hand slowly. Repeat the exercise until your arm is tired. Then do the exercise with your right arm.
Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercise No.2
Lie on your right side. Keep your left arm along the upper side of your body. Bend your right elbow to 90°. Keep your forearm resting on the table. Now roll your right shoulder in, raising your right forearm up to your chest. (Hint: This is like the forehand swing in tennis.) Lower the forearm slowly. Repeat the exercise until your arm is tired. Then do the exercise with your left arm.
Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercise No.3
Lie on your right side with a rolled-up towel under your right armpit. Stretch your right arm above your head. Keep your left arm at your side with your elbow bent to 90° and the forearm resting against your chest, palm down. Roll your left shoulder out, raising the left forearm until its level with your shoulder. (Hint: This is like the backhand swing in tennis.) Lower the arm slowly. Repeat the exercise until your arm is tired. Then do the exercise with your right arm.
Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercise No.4
External Rotator on Knee: Sit on a bench with foot propped on seat so that when you rest your elbow on the knee, the upper arm remains parallel to the floor. Start with your hand in the air, perpendicular to the floor, and slowly rotate your upper arm in an arc toward the midline of your body, keeping a right angle to the elbow, until your forearm is just above parallel to the floor.
Exhale and arc the arm back up to vertical, repeat for 12-15 repetitions and then perform on the other arm, 1-3 sets each. If you anticipate that one arm is weaker than the other, complete the exercise with your weak arm first and only do the same number of reps on the strong arm as you can complete with good form on the first.
Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercise No.5
Propped External Rotator: Sit on a bench with a barbell behind you so that your upper arm is parallel to the floor. Rest your elbow on the barbell and just as for the Knee exercise above, slowly lower the dumbbell until the upper arm is parallel to the floor and focus on contracting the small muscles in the back of the shoulder to lift the weight back to vertical. Be careful not to use so heavy a load that the weight pulls your hand too far down! Exhale on the lift and complete 12-15 repetitions, 1-3 sets each on both arms.
Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercise No.6
Attach resistance band to the doorknob or wall, then stand with right side to wall. Hold the resistance band with your right hand, bend your elbow to 90-degree angle, hand facing frontward and elbow close to body and slowly rotate your hand toward the middle of the body. Return to starting position, repeat 10 times and then repeat the exercise on the other side.
Get More Excellent Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Exercises
Doing these exercises will lead to results, though it’s difficult to do the same exercises over and over again, but doing exercises and stretches for your rotator cuff and shoulder will eliminate your pain in most cases.
I used great rotator cuff physical therapy exercises in one complete training program called The Ultimate Rotator Cuff Training Guide to keep myself from boredom, and after only six weeks all the symptoms of my rotator cuff injury were completely GONE!
This training program has everything to keep you on track and help you recover from your rotator cuff injury, and the most important thing is that it was written by a certified physiotherapist, so you can be sure you are not causing yourself further damage.
The Ultimate Rotator Cuff Training Guide is the ultimate training program to give you:
- Unique Exercises Programs
- Exclusive Stretching Programs
- Physiotherapy Exercises Plus Pictures and Explanations
- The Do’s and Don’t When Performing Rotator Cuff Physiotherapy Exercises
- And Much More…
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