We use our shoulders for almost each little factor we do: reaching for a can behind the cupboard; placing a ebook on a excessive shelf; slipping our arm right into a sleeve; brushing our enamel. So when you’ve gotten a bum shoulder, it’s, effectively, an enormous bummer.
Most individuals with shoulder ache have some sort of rotator cuff tear or harm. Issues with the rotator cuff—probably the most vital components of the shoulder—are tremendous widespread (extra on why later). Yearly, greater than 2 million People see their physician complaining of rotator cuff ache, in response to the Cleveland Clinic.
Whereas stopping a rotator cuff harm isn’t at all times doable, exhibiting your shoulder some love within the type of every day rotator cuff stretches can definitely decrease your probabilities. Learn on to study extra in regards to the rotator cuff, together with why it’s susceptible to ache, the most effective stretches to maintain it lengthy and limber, and what to do if you find yourself with an harm.
What’s the rotator cuff, precisely?
“The rotator cuff is a group of relatively small muscles [and tendons] that attach to the front and the back of the shoulder,” says Anna Hammond, DPT, OCS, PCES, a bodily therapist at Core Train Options.
“The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint,” so the rotator cuff muscle tissue “work together to help keep the ball centered in the socket,” Hammond says. In different phrases, it holds your shoulder in place and stabilizes the joint, so you are able to do issues like elevate your arms or attain overhead.
Why is the rotator cuff susceptible to harm?
“The short answer is most people have tight or weak rotator cuff muscles,” says Grayson Wickham, DPT, CSCS, founding father of the Motion Vault.
Sometimes, tight rotator cuff muscle tissue on the entrance of the shoulder (together with the pectoralis minor) will pull the shoulders ahead (i.e., out of correct alignment), he says. The rotator cuff muscle tissue on the again of the shoulder can be weak or unstable.
This lack of stability often has to do with repeated poor posture (assume: slumping in entrance of a laptop computer 9 hours a day), Wickham says. Not actively stretching or strengthening the muscle tissue additionally performs a component.
Downside is, poor shoulder mobility and stability units off a harmful domino impact, one thing Wickham calls the “joint pain and injury cycle.” The cycle is:
- Tight or unstable shoulder muscle tissue trigger compensations in your rotator cuff
- These compensations result in joint wear-and-tear (on this case, micro-tearing of particular rotator cuff muscle tissue similar to your supraspinatus)
- This joint wear-and-tear ultimately results in ache and harm
Making issues worse, we rely on the rotator cuff for lots of on a regular basis actions (assume: combing our hair, pushing a vacuum) so it will get quite a bit of wear-and-tear. Over time, this overuse damages and weakens the shoulder, making it much more vulnerable to harm, in response to Harvard Well being Publishing.
On prime of all this, the motion of the rotator cuff entails the sequencing of many muscle tissue together with the scapula (shoulder blade), the humerus (higher arm bone), and the rib cage, Hammond says. “If one component isn’t working well, the rotator cuff can easily get pinched in the joint space or set up to overwork,” she says.
The way to know if in case you have a rotator cuff harm
Tears are probably the most widespread rotator cuff accidents. They will occur by accident, say, when you fall, or they could be a byproduct of wear-and-tear from repetitive actions and common getting old.
Signs of a rotator cuff tear embrace, per the Cleveland Clinic:
- Problem elevating or shifting your arm with out ache or discomfort
- Normal weak point in your shoulder joint
- Much less vary of movement in your shoulder
Tendonitis (or irritation of tendons within the shoulder) is one other widespread rotator cuff drawback. When it’s extreme, tendonitis may even trigger a rotator cuff tear.
Signs of rotator cuff tendonitis embrace, per Harvard Well being Publishing:
- A boring ache across the outdoors tip of the shoulder that will get worse once you push, pull, attain overhead, or elevate your arm as much as the facet
- Ache once you lie on the affected shoulder
Can rotator cuff stretches stop an harm?
The quick reply: sure, partially. “The most effective way to prevent rotator cuff injuries is to improve your overall shoulder mobility and stability,” Wickham says. This implies ensuring the muscle tissue on the back and front of your shoulder are sturdy and versatile.
“The most effective way to prevent rotator cuff injuries is to improve your overall shoulder mobility and stability.”—Grayson Wickham, DPT
Focused stretching is a part of this equation. “An effective shoulder mobility program will include specific rotator cuff active stretches,” Wickham says. The important thing phrase being lively. “Static stretching will not improve your rotator cuff range of motion or stability,” he says.
The opposite pivotal piece for stopping a rotator cuff harm is strengthening the shoulder muscle tissue. Muscle activation workout routines will assist improve rotator cuff mobility and stability. particularly with overhead actions, Wickham says.
Hammond agrees: “it’s about a well-balanced weight training program that helps make sure your scapula moves well in all planes of motion and with control.”
“Typically, focus on rib cage mobility and eccentric lengthening exercises of the serratus, pecs, lats, and subscap,” Hammond says. “The eccentric focus of an exercise helps give you length and strength” in these muscle tissue, she says. Each are essential for staying harm free.
Different advantages of rotator cuff stretches
“In addition to injury prevention, performing rotator cuff active stretches and muscle activations will also improve your performance in your daily life activities,” Wickham says.
A couple of on a regular basis issues you are able to do with extra ease (and fewer ache) when your rotator cuff is in tip-top form:
- Attain excessive in your cabinet to get one thing
- Open a door
- Carry your groceries
- Brush your hair
Including rotator cuff stretches to your common routine may also degree up your health within the gymnasium or in your sport, Wickham says. You’ll be higher at push-ups, bench press, pull-ups, throwing a baseball or soccer, or swinging a tennis racket, simply to call just a few.
Finest rotator cuff stretches to stop harm
These shoulder workout routines, which you are able to do at residence, are really helpful by Wickham to construct vary of movement and suppleness, and enhance stability and mobility inside the shoulder joint to assist stop harm in your rotator cuff. For the most effective outcomes, incorporate them right into a well-balanced strength-training routine.
1. Rotator Cuff Muscle and Fascia Lively Launch Mendacity With Ball
This targets and unlocks your posterior rotator cuff muscle tissue (those within the again) by reducing neurologic muscle tone, Wickham says. We like to make use of a Set off Level Therapeutic massage Ball for fascia stretches, however a lacrosse and even tennis ball will work simply as effectively.
- Begin by mendacity in your again with one arm lifted straight overhead.
- Place the mobility ball in your rotator cuff muscle tissue of your overhead arm. To seek out these muscle tissue, take your reverse hand and attain over your shoulder to search out the backbone of your shoulder blade.
- Place the ball beneath this backbone. The ball needs to be on the underside half of your shoulder blade.
- Internally and externally rotate your shoulder. To do that, level your thumb upward towards the ceiling, after which rotate your shoulder, pointing your thumb downward so far as you’ll be able to towards the bottom.
- It’s also possible to discover different areas in your rotator cuff by shifting the ball barely in both course.
- Proceed this shoulder rotation motion whereas mendacity on the ball for two minutes. Swap and repeat in your different shoulder.
2. Sleeper Stretch Lively Stretch
“This active stretch and activation exercise targets the back of your shoulder,” Wickham says. “It maximally stretches and activates your posterior rotator cuff muscles and improves shoulder rotation.”
- Start by lying on one side with a slight bend at your hips.
- Your body will be in a V position. Rest your head on top of a pillow, foam roller, or yoga block.
- Point your bottom forearm and hand directly at your hip crease. This will show you where your arm should be.
- Keep the back of your shoulder and elbow of the bottom arm on the ground the entire time.
- Take your opposite hand and place it on the top of your other forearm and push down as far as possible.
- You should now feel a maximal stretch in the back of your shoulder that is on the ground.
- While staying in the stretch, contract these muscles by trying to push your wrist into your opposite hand that is holding your forearm down and providing resistance.
- Hold this contraction for 20 seconds.
- Next, relax the muscles, but stay in the stretch and contract the muscles on the other side of your shoulder by trying to push your hand and forearm towards the ground even farther, as far as possible.
- Hold this contraction for 10 seconds.
- That’s 1 rep; complete 3 reps. You should be able to get a little deeper into the stretch with every repetition. Then switch arms.
3. Reverse Snow Angels Standing
This is a great move similar to shoulder flossing to improve full active range of motion and stability of your shoulders in numerous positions, because it targets all of the muscles around your shoulder blade and shoulders.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Push your hips back as far as possible until your chest is parallel to the ground or you feel a stretch in the back of your hamstring muscles.
- Keep your back flat the entire time. With your hands by your side, and palms facing up, extend your shoulders upward as high as possible.
- Bend your elbows and bring your hands behind your back, trying to touch the bottoms of your opposite shoulder blades.
- Straighten your elbows, flip your palms down, and spread apart your shoulder blades while bringing your arms out to the side and then overhead as far as possible.
- Once your arms are maximally stretched out overhead, reverse the above steps, by pinching your shoulder blades together as you move your arms out to the side and then back down to your side.
- Flip your palms upward and extend your shoulders as high as possible upward.
- That’s 1 rep; perform 3 sets of 3 reps.
“The goal of this exercise is to move your shoulders and shoulder blades through their maximum pain-free range of motion,” Wickham says. So if in case you have ache at any level, modify the stretch till the vary of movement is extra snug for you.
4. Shoulder Flexion Lively Stretch
By specializing in the entrance and facet of your shoulder, particularly your lat and rotator cuff muscle tissue, this transfer improves overhead mobility and stability, in response to Wickham. It is also a nice strategy to stretch out shoulder knots.
- Start on your hands and knees. Place one hand with your thumb facing upward onto a box, bench, or piece of furniture.
- Keeping your elbow straight the entire time, push your chest down to the ground as far as possible until you feel a maximal stretch in the front and side of your shoulder.
- While staying in this stretch, contract the shoulder muscles by driving your hand and arm into the box and holding this contraction for 20 seconds.
- Next, relax the muscles, but remain in the stretch. Contract the muscles on the other side of your shoulder by trying to lift your hand up off of the box as high as possible. You probably won’t be able to lift your arm because it is maximally stretched (which is totally normal), but the idea is to tell your muscles to try. Hold this contraction for 10 seconds.
- This equals 1 rep; do 3 reps, then switch arms.
5. Cross-Chest Posterior Shoulder Eccentrics
This active stretch and activation exercise targets the back of your shoulder to improve posterior rotator cuff mobility and stability, Wickham says.
- Start by lying on your side with one arm directly out in front of you, palm facing up.
- Contract the muscles on the back of your shoulder on your straight arm by pushing the back of your hand and arm down into the ground.
- While holding this contraction, slowly lower your opposite shoulder and chest down to the ground as far as possible. This should take you about five seconds.
- Make sure to continue to press your arm down into the ground, contracting this muscle the entire time. You should feel it in the back of your shoulder.
- Next, move your arm upward about 6 inches and repeat the steps above.
- This equals 1 rep. Complete 10 reps and repeat on the other side.
6. Pectoralis Active Stretch
If you’ve ever done a chest stretch through an open doorway, this move is very similar. It adds some contractions to the muscles on the front of your shoulder, specifically your pectoralis muscles, to not just stretch your front shoulder but boost its stability, too.
- Start by lying on your stomach with one arm straight out to your side at a 90-degree angle from your body and palm down.
- Using your opposite arm for support, lift and rotate your opposite hip and leg off of the ground, as far as possible backward. This will increase the stretch in the front of the shoulder of your straight arm.
- While staying in the stretch, contract the shoulder muscles by driving your hand and arm into the ground. Hold this contraction for 20 seconds.
- Next, relax the muscles, but stay in this stretch. Contract the muscles on the back of your shoulder by trying to lift your hand and arm up off of the ground as high as possible. Hold this contraction for 10 seconds.
- If you are deep into the stretch, you will not be able to lift your arm much (this is a good thing). Continue to contract the muscles on the back of your shoulder.
- Briefly come out of the stretch and bend your elbows 3 times. Then place your arm back on the ground, but move it about 6 inches upward. Repeat the same steps above.
- Continue this movement pattern, moving your arm upward each time until it is almost directly overhead. The higher you move your arm upward, the less you will be able to rotate your body.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
Exercises to avoid with an injured rotator cuff
While rest is key for recovery, you shouldn’t stop moving your shoulder altogether. This can cause “frozen shoulder,” a condition that occurs when shoulder tissues shrink and reduce its range of motion, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Staying active will help prevent this problem and keep your shoulder limber.
That said, you’ll also need to be careful about which exercises you choose to do—you don’t want to worsen your injury (or your pain). Certain exercises, like overhead movements (or anything that involves raising your arms) and horizontal pushing movements, can aggravate a rotator cuff injury, Wickham and Hammond say.
Some exercises to avoid with a rotator cuff injury:
Other (perhaps surprising) exercises that add strain to a bad shoulder include, per the Cleveland Clinic:
- Deadlifts (they can pull your arm out of your socket and place a ton of tension on the rotator cuff)
- Shrugs (they pull down on your shoulder)
- Squatting with a barbell (resting the bar across your shoulders can stress the rotator cuff)
Still, everyone (and every injury) is different. “The specific stretches and exercises to avoid depend on your extent of damage and your current shoulder mobility and stability level,” Wickham says. “Let the discomfort down your arm be your guide,” Hammond says. Simply put: if something hurts, stop doing it.
Simply put: if something hurts, stop doing it.
Alternatively, you can also accommodate your shoulder by modifying (in this case, reducing) the range of motion of an exercise or stretch, Wickham adds. As you recover, you’ll gradually rebuild range of motion and strength.
FAQ
What if I already have a rotator cuff injury?
Sometimes even when you take care of your shoulders (read: stretch and strengthen them regularly), injuries still happen (argh). Now what?
While it might take some time, most injuries can heal with a little help. It usually takes two to four weeks to recover from rotator cuff tendonitis or a small tear, according to Harvard Health Publishing. For more serious tears, the healing process may last several months.
Either way, with patience and some TLC, you can successfully recover from a rotator cuff injury (and relieve rotator cuff pain). Here’s how, per the Cleveland Clinic:
- Rest (and maybe an arm sling) to give your overused shoulder much-needed downtime.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to limit pain and swelling.
- Steroid injections to ease pain and swelling.
- Physical therapy for rebuilding range of motion and strength.
Can a rotator cuff heal on its own?
Luckily, many rotator cuff injuries—including tendonitis and tears—can heal with physical therapy (and without surgery), according to Harvard Health Publishing.
Case in point: 8 of 10 people with partial rotator cuff tears make a full recovery using conservative treatments (think: ice, NSAIDs, physical therapy), per the Cleveland Clinic.
Still, “not all rotator cuff injuries are created equal,” Hammond says. “You can have different thicknesses or number of muscles involved.”
In other words, whether you can get better on your own depends on “the extent of damage, a.k.a., muscle tearing,” Wickham adds. Less serious rotator cuff tears (like grade one or two tears, for example) can be successfully rehabbed with the support of a physical therapist, he says.
“An effective rotator cuff tear rehab program will not only help you decrease your shoulder pain, but will also fix the root cause of your rotator cuff tear, which in most cases is poor shoulder mobility and stability,” Wickham says.
“It will also focus on other areas of your body as well such as upper back mobility, core stability and even hip mobility,” he says. “Poor mobility in these areas will cause extra compensation in your shoulders, which will typically lead to wear-and-tear and eventually shoulder pain and injury.”
On the other hand, more severe injuries, like grade three tears, will typically require surgery, Wickham says.
What is the best position to relieve rotator cuff pain?
An injured rotator cuff can be pretty painful. You might find it difficult to get comfortable in any position.
“Typically, lying on your injured shoulder is the worst position,” Wickham says. Here’s what to do instead to alleviate pain when lying on your side:
- Leave your arm by your side while sitting (or standing). Raising your arm overhead can worsen the discomfort.
- When lying down, lie on your opposite (i.e., healthy) shoulder. If you still have pain in this position, put a big pillow under the top/affected arm to help support it/prevent it from getting pulled across your body.
“Lying on your back is often painful too,” Hammond says. To assist:
- Put a pillow underneath your affected arm along with your hand in your abdomen.
- Place a small towel behind the again of shoulder (the thought isn’t to shove the shoulder ahead however relatively to convey the mattress or floor as much as it to assist it calm down and really feel supported).
If sitting is painful, do that, Hammond says:
- Fold a pillow in half to place underneath your arm earlier than you sit down.
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