| One of the most common causes of shoulder pain is | | | | Teres Major and the Subscapularis muscles |
| an injury to the rotator cuff muscles. These are a | | | | Also because we tend to internally rotate our |
| small but important group of muscles that surround the | | | | shoulders a lot more in everyday movement the |
| shoulder joint helping to stabilise it and also helping with | | | | internal rotator muscles grow stronger and the |
| rotational movement of the shoulder. | | | | external rotator muscles gradually get weaker so that |
| So why are the rotator cuff muscles so susceptible to | | | | as we age our cuff muscles become more prone to |
| damage and what can we do about it? | | | | injuries like shoulder tendonitis, shoulder impingements |
| There are four muscles within the rotator cuff; The | | | | and rotator cuff tears. |
| Supraspinatus muscle which is responsible for raising | | | | The vast majority of injuries to the rotator cuff |
| the arm and lifting it away from the body, the | | | | muscles are to the Supraspinatus muscle. What |
| Subscapularis muscle which is on the underside of the | | | | makes this muscle so susceptible to injury is that the |
| shoulder blade and helps with internal rotation of the | | | | tendons of the Supraspinatus run through a channel of |
| arm, The Infraspinatus which also helps with lifting the | | | | bone at the top of the shoulder blade. When this |
| arm but mainly comes into play during external rotation | | | | tendon becomes damaged it can become inflamed but |
| and the Teres Minor which helps with external rotation. | | | | because of the restriction caused by the bone it gets |
| All four muscles start at some point on the shoulder | | | | pinched or impinged against the bone causing a |
| blade and attach to the upper arm bone. | | | | shoulder impingement. |
| So within the rotator cuff muscles there are three | | | | To prevent this if it hasn't yet happened or cure it if |
| muscles that help with external rotation and abduction | | | | you already have a shoulder injury, you need to |
| and these are the muscles which are at most risk of | | | | exercise the muscles using specific rotator cuff |
| injury. | | | | exercises to strengthen them These exercises will |
| Rotator cuff injuries come about because of a power | | | | need to be low weight; low resistance exercises |
| mis-match between muscles that turn the arm | | | | designed to isolate and exercise the rotator cuff |
| outwards (external rotation) and muscles that turn the | | | | muscles. |
| arm inwards (internal rotation) | | | | If you have any type of shoulder injury it is vital that |
| There are really only four muscles that deal with | | | | you rest the joint properly and treat any inflammation |
| external rotation of the shoulder, three of the rotator | | | | before starting any type of exercise. It is also |
| cuff muscles and the posterior deltoid muscles. There | | | | important to seek professional advice with any |
| are a lot more muscles that deal with internal rotation | | | | shoulder pain that continues for more than a few days |
| and they tend to be larger more powerful muscles | | | | or worsens with use. |
| such as the Pectoral muscles, the Latissimus Dorsi, | | | | |