| Having torn my rotator cuff at the end of last year I | | | | always worth getting yourself checked out just to see |
| have discovered a fair bit about rotator cuff | | | | exactly what you are dealing with. |
| rehabilitation. The thing that surprised me most was | | | | I discovered that rest is the key. Not the half-hearted |
| how much exercise featured in rehabilitation of all | | | | rest that I had tried but complete rest of the damaged |
| rotator cuff problems. | | | | shoulder. This involves completely avoiding any |
| I tore my cuff quite badly, lifting something that was | | | | movement that causes pain, simply because the pain |
| too heavy. I rather foolishly lifted with my arm perfectly | | | | is a sign of further damage being done. Makes sense |
| straight, putting all the weight on my shoulder. Pop...That | | | | really! |
| was me out of action for a while. | | | | At the same time as rest, treat the inflammation. Use |
| I tried carrying on for a few days hoping that it was | | | | anti-inflammatory drugs, ice packs even steroid |
| just a strain and that it would sort itself out. Now, with | | | | injections if all else fails. Once the muscles has calmed |
| the benefit of hindsight and a lot more knowledge, I | | | | down you can start gentle exercises aimed at |
| realise that was the worst thing I could do. Where I | | | | strengthening the rotator cuff. |
| had torn my rotator cuff, the inflammation had caused | | | | Rotator cuff rehabilitation exercises avoid weights and |
| a shoulder impingement and each time that I lifted my | | | | tend to be Pilates based focusing on control and |
| arm above shoulder height, the tendon was getting | | | | flexibility. Gentle stretching to warm up the muscles |
| pinched against the bone and getting damaged even | | | | and then slow controlled exercises. |
| more. | | | | With nothing to lose I concentrated on resting my arm |
| To cut a long story short, after a couple of visits to the | | | | and then gradually started on the exercises. I found my |
| doctor and a trip or two to hospital for investigation, I | | | | shoulder started to improve so I carried on with the ice |
| was diagnosed as having torn my rotator cuff and in | | | | packs twice a day and gradually increased the |
| the process I had developed the shoulder impingement. | | | | frequency of the exercises, all the time being careful |
| Because of the severity of the problem I was | | | | to avoid anything that caused pain. After a couple of |
| recommended for surgery, a sub-acromial | | | | weeks I felt much better and at the end of six weeks |
| decompression to be precise. The idea was to shave | | | | felt fully recovered. |
| away a piece of bone to free up the trapped tendon. | | | | The date for my surgery has come and gone. I did not |
| Being in the UK there was the inevitable waiting list, in | | | | have it in the end as my shoulder felt so much better |
| my case it was three months long. | | | | that it seemed pointless. I now do my shoulder |
| So I started to research my injury and discovered that | | | | exercises for ten minutes every day, on both |
| most rotator cuff injuries do not require surgery. If you | | | | shoulders, just to be safe. One rotator cuff injury is |
| have managed a full thickness tear, there is no | | | | enough for me. |
| avoiding it but a lot of tears can be healed without. It is | | | | |