Donâ€™t Let a Rotator Cuff Injury Sideline You

Posted on | August 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment

If youâ€™ve sustained a shoulder injury, one thatâ€™s affected the rotator cuff, you may wonder if youâ€™ll ever be back to normal again. The things most people take for granted, like getting dressed or reaching a glass off a top shelf, can cause agonizing pain.

Whatâ€™s worse is it may seem like it will never get any better. One canâ€™t help thinking the pain may never go away entirely, and that the limited range of movement is something you just have to learn to live with.

One of the most complex parts of the human body is the rotator cuff which is why shoulder injuries in general and rotator cuff injuries in particular are so much harder to recover from. Itâ€™s called a rotator because of the full range of motion through 360 degrees that it allows when working correctly, and no other joint in the body can perform the same.

To make this amazing capability possible, the rotator cuff is comprised of several muscle groups and tendons all working in tandem to keep your arm attached to the shoulder blade. In fact, looking at how the ball end of the upper arm is held in the shoulders socket, one canâ€™t help but appreciate the intricacies of its construction.Â

However, this amazing range of motion can put the shoulder under considerable stress, and as a result, rotator cuff injuries are fairly common. Repetitive overhead arm movements, strains from lifting, or the impact shock from a fall are potential causes. Activities that involve throwing, along with reaching, especially in cramped quarters can sometimes lead to the injury.

Itâ€™s also common among people whose jobs or hobbies include heavy demands on their shoulders, such as athletes and construction workers. Poor posture can contribute too, plus as one gets older, the risk of a rotator cuff injury increases even more.

Our shoulders extremely wide performance range when its working as advertised is exactly why we feel its loss so much when its not. After an injury, the most prevalent symptom is pain. In some cases nothing you do makes it stop. Reaching for anything is out of the question and even if you could, holding it up to bring it to you would be agonizingly impossible.

The shoulder will often feel weak and just trying to put on a shirt or jacket will be an ordeal. If the injury itself doesnâ€™t force limits on movement, you will likely find that favoring that arm by not sleeping on it or doing much with it will help reduce the pain. In general, the more continuous the pain, the more serious the injury up to the point of a torn rotator cuff.

If youâ€™re suffering now, you likely want to know how fast it can be fixed. The answer depends on the type of injury which ranges from inflammation of the muscle without any permanent damage, to a complete or partial tear of the muscle that might require surgery. Most often, treatment involves self-care measures and exercise therapy.

Initial self-care allows the injury to stabilize by resting the joint, and treating it with cold and heat, using pain and anti-inflammatory medications as needed. This is followed by gently exercising the affected muscles after a couple days to keep the muscles limber. Once the injury heals, and some range of motion has returned, the correct exercises will recondition and strengthen the muscles.

You want to be sure to utilize a method of conditioning, training, and strengthening that is reliable and medically proven. Foremost is to deal with the injury as soon as possible after it happens. Just pampering it for many days on end with no improvement is not the answer.

Knowing when to see a doctor is critical as is understanding the proper way to care for yourself. If a rotator cuff injury is not acute, recovery is most often possible with proper exercise therapy. To learn more, check our resource pages on rotator cuff treatment and shoulder injuries.