If you’re over the age of 30, and you’re experiencing pain and weakness in your shoulder, you’re probably suffering from a rotator cuff disorder. Simple everyday activities like changing your clothes or bathing can be made uncomfortable or even impossible. These significant, but often understated conditions involve irritation of the tendons and muscles that help connect the upper arm bone with the shoulder blade. .
Historically, these conditions were thought to primarily involve tendonitis, or inflammation of the tendons, and bursitis, or inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs between tendons and the shoulder blade. More recently, comprehensive clinical examinations have shown that conditions related to the overuse of tendons are more consistent with muscle tissue degeneration, and often occur in the absence of inflammation. Also referred to as tendonosis, the causes of tendon or muscle tissue degeneration are often unknown.
Starting a new overhead activity or exercise can cause problems in an unprepared or weak shoulder. Although rotator cuff issues are often caused by the types of repetitive overhead motions used during sports like badminton, tennis and racquetball, they can also be caused by repetitive work-related stress and strain. Rotator cuff disorders can also be caused by poor posture, acute injury due to falling, or simply due to the everyday muscle and tendon degeneration that accompanies the normal aging process, and wear and tear. Starting a new overhead activity or exercise can also cause problems in an unprepared or weak shoulder.
Fortunately, buy following some simple rules you can significantly reduce, if not eliminate your risk of common rotator cuff issues. First, use your trainer. An extra set of eyes and thoughtful custom exercises can help with posture and this is priceless. Second, warm up. A cold tendon is a brittle tendon, so get your body temperature up to a light sweat prior to stressing your shoulders. Then warm up your rotator cuff with a few very light rotator exercise. These exercises include scapular squeezes and setting, inward and outward rotation exercises, and abduction exercises. Third, stretch. A variety of range of motion exercises are used to help exercise muscle groups of the rotator cuff to help promote joint flexibility and to reduce the risks of joint mobility issues. Stretching exercises include; posterior capsule stretches, aim to ease the tightness of the ligaments near the back of the shoulder and try wand exercises, which involves improving the range of motion of the shoulder joint. Last, go slow and never stop. It takes time for your body to adapt to a new exercise, so give it time. Stopping and starting an exercises program is a frequent cause of injury, so if you need to cut back because life is getting in the way, that’s OK but don’t ever stop. Your body and your shoulder crave consistency.
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