Exercises for Rotator Cuff-the Best Treatment for Shoulder Injuries and Disorders

by mamamusings

Exercises For Rotator Cuff-The Best Treatment For Shoulder Injuries And Disorders

Whether for an injury or a disorder, a program of exercises for rotator cuff is the best long term treatment for rehabilitation, strengthening and conditioning. Injuries like tears or post traumatic rehabilitation following surgery or dislocation must include a full rehabilitation program to restore the cuff to former strength. Also disorders and inflammations like Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis), Tendonitis, Bursitis and Impingement can greatly benefit from the same program to cut down otherwise long recovery times.

Other treatments include prescription or over the counter drugs, ice packs, hot packs, ultrasounds, cortisone injections, manipulation and surgery. Manipulation and surgery are performed under general anesthesia only for the most severe cases of disorders or injuries, like a stubborn frozen shoulder or a large tear. Both need a rehabilitation program of exercises for rotator cuff afterward to help the cuff recover and heal properly. Ice packs are used for inflammations like Bursitis, Tendonitis and Impingement Syndrome. They are temporarily effective but also inexpensive and without side effects, unlike drugs.

Hot packs are used to soothe and soften up Frozen Shoulder adhesions. The adhesions are thickened and coarse scars of the capsule membrane surrounding the rotator cuff from which the disorder takes its medical term: Adhesive Capsulitis. Again, they are only mildly and temporarily effective. Ultrasounds are used to break the adhesions of a Frozen Shoulder but they are only partially effective, require surgery appointments and are time consuming. Cortisone injections are effective to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and restore range of motion and flexibility but come with side effects and should be used when anything else failed. However, exercises for the rotator cuff are the most natural and effective way to recover an injured or ill cuff, cutting down recovery times and preventing future injuries or relapses.

Exercises for the rotator cuff can be implemented right off the mark for shoulder disorders, or after a rest period following a tear or surgery. A torn rotator cuff requires rest in a swing first, while a post surgery rehabilitation requires a passive phase to begin with, performed by the therapist. In all cases a course of anti inflammatories is always prescribed to relieve pain and inflammation, while cortisone injections should be used only in more severe cases.

In any case, drugs can only alleviate the symptoms and reduce inflammation artificially, doing nothing to restore the cuff at root level, hence they should always be complemented by a set of exercises for the cuff to wean the sufferer off them. Not only that, but these exercises considerably cut down recovery times, unlike anti inflammatories that lead to dependency and prolong the recovery.

Therefore, exercises for the rotator cuff are the best treatment for any injury and disorder. They consist of several external and internal rotation movements performed without resistance or a very light one, depending on stage or severity. They target the cuff muscles and tendons, strengthening the cuff which in turn recovers quicker from inflammation naturally, eliminating pain and medicines along the way.

This protocol should also be used as part of a shoulder training program, to give further strength and stability and provide foundation for all traditional shoulder exercises. External and internal rotation movements are useful not just to rehabilitate a cuff riddled with inflammation or injured, but also to strengthen a healthy one and prevent to possible injuries.