| The shoulder is a ball and socket joint; one of the few | | | | musculature contracting. |
| designed to move in all three planes. With this mobility | | | | If you spend a lot of time with your arms in front of |
| comes a greater risk of injury. Just about every one | | | | you with your hands narrower than shoulder width; like |
| of us knows or has come across someone with a | | | | when driving, using a computer, or reading a book, then |
| rotator cuff injury. This is probably the most common | | | | you spend a lot of time with your shoulders internally |
| shoulder injury and it is becoming more common. | | | | rotated. The rotator cuff is stretched out and in a |
| "Between 1998 and 2004, over 5 million physician visits | | | | weakened position for long periods of time. In contrast, |
| were attributed to rotator cuff problems, an increase | | | | the pectoral muscles are in a "flexed" position causing |
| of 40% in the given time period" (America Academy | | | | the dysfunction referred to as "pronated shoulders" or |
| of Orthopedic Surgeons). With this type of injury on | | | | "rounded shoulders". Having that dysfunction means |
| the increase so dramatically, the questions arises: How | | | | that your rotator cuff is unable to do its job of slowing |
| can you strengthen and prevent injury to your rotator | | | | down internal rotation and an injury occurs. |
| cuff and, if you have injured it, how can you strengthen | | | | There are some simple methods for fixing this |
| it to prevent further damage? Before I can begin to | | | | shoulder dysfunction. The first step is to inhibit the tight |
| explain how to strengthen your rotator cuff I need to | | | | muscles of the pectorals and latisimus dorsi by foam |
| explain what it is and what its purpose is. | | | | rolling them. This uses self-myofascial release to relax |
| The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles: the | | | | the muscle spindles and lengthen the muscle tissue. |
| supraspinatous, infraspinatous, teres minor, and the | | | | Then you would want to static stretch those same |
| subscapularis. The purpose of these muscles is to | | | | muscles to lengthen them and their connective tissue. |
| cocentrically accelerate external rotation and | | | | This is going to allow for greater external rotation |
| eccentrically slow down internal rotation. Let me | | | | mobility in the shoulder. |
| explain what that means in everyday English as best I | | | | The next step would be to perform some isolated |
| can. On the inside of your elbow there is a bony knob, | | | | strengthening. Some great moves for that are external |
| that is the bottom of humerus. If you rotate your arm | | | | rotations with an exercise tube or YTA's on an |
| so that points to the back then you have internally | | | | exercise ball. Both of these moves will strengthen the |
| rotated your shoulder. If you rotate it so that it points | | | | rotator cuff and accomplish two things. Protect your |
| toward the front of your body then you have | | | | shoulder from an unwanted and costly rotator cuff |
| performed an external rotation. When you perform an | | | | injury and also correct the rounded shoulder postural |
| external rotation you will feel your rotator cuff | | | | problem making you look better almost immediately. |