| > | | | | injury and discovered that most rotator cuff injuries do |
| Having torn my rotator cuff at the end of last year I | | | | not require surgery. If you have managed to get a full |
| have discovered a fair bit about rotator cuff | | | | thickness tear, there is no way of avoiding it but a lot |
| rehabilitation. The thing that surprised me most was | | | | of partial injuries can be sorted out without. It is always |
| just how much exercise featured in rehabilitation of all | | | | worth getting yourself checked out just to see exactly |
| rotator cuff damage. | | | | what you are dealing with. |
| Having torn my rotator cuff towards the end of last | | | | I discovered that total rest of the joint is the key. Not |
| year I have researched a fair amount about rotator | | | | the half-hearted rest that I had been doing but |
| cuff rehabilitation. The thing that surprised me most | | | | complete rest of the damaged shoulder. This means |
| was how much exercise featured in rehabilitation of | | | | avoiding completely any of the movements that |
| any rotator cuff damage. | | | | causes pain or discomfort, simply because the pain is |
| I tore my cuff fairly badly, lifting some furniture that | | | | a sign of more damage being done. Makes sense |
| was too heavy. I rather foolishly lifted with my left arm | | | | really! |
| completely straight, putting all of the weight on my | | | | At the same time as rest, treat the inflammation. Use |
| shoulder. Pop...That was me out of action for a while. | | | | anti-inflammatory drugs, ice packs even steroid |
| No more golf for me! | | | | injections if all else fails. Once the tendons have settled |
| I tried carrying on for several days hoping that it was | | | | down you can start gentle exercises aimed at |
| nothing more than a strain and that it would sort itself | | | | strengthening the cuff. |
| out. Now, with the benefit of hindsight and more | | | | Rotator cuff rehabilitation exercises tend to avoid |
| knowledge, I realise that was the worst thing I could | | | | weights and be Pilates based focusing on control and |
| have done. Where I had torn my rotator cuff, the | | | | flexibility. Gentle stretching exercises to begin with and |
| inflammation had brought on a shoulder impingement | | | | then slow controlled exercises. |
| and every time that I lifted my arm above shoulder | | | | With nothing to lose I concentrated on resting my arm |
| height, the tendon was getting impinged or pinched | | | | and then gradually started on the exercises. I found my |
| against the bone and getting damaged even more. | | | | shoulder started to feel better so I continued using the |
| In summary, after a couple of visits to my local doctor | | | | ice packs twice a day and gradually built up the |
| and a trip or two to hospital for investigation, I was | | | | frequency of the exercises, all the time being careful |
| found to have torn my rotator cuff and in the process | | | | to avoid anything that caused pain or discomfort. After |
| I had developed the shoulder impingement. Because of | | | | a couple of weeks I started to feel a real |
| how bad the problem was I was recommended for | | | | improvement and at the end of six weeks felt |
| surgery, a sub-acromial decompression to be exact. | | | | completely recovered. |
| The idea was to cut away a piece of bone to give | | | | The date for my surgery has gone. I did not have it in |
| the trapped tendon room to move. As I was in the UK | | | | the end as my shoulder felt so much better that it |
| there was the inevitable waiting list, in my case it was | | | | seemed pointless. I now do my shoulder exercises for |
| three months long. | | | | ten minutes every day, on both shoulders, just to be |
| So while I was waiting I started to read up about my | | | | safe. One rotator cuff injury is enough for me. |