| Having torn my rotator cuff a few months ago and | | | | what I had been doing wrong. The key to a successful |
| experienced severe pain on an ongoing basis for | | | | recovery is rest. Proper rest avoiding any movement |
| several weeks I decided to research the subject and | | | | that causes pain. If I am completely honest I had paid lip |
| find out as much as I could about the rotator cuff and | | | | service to resting my shoulder and had carried on |
| why an injury to it can be so painful. | | | | doing some things that caused pain. So I rested the |
| The term rotator cuff suggests that there is just one | | | | joint properly and used ice packs and |
| of them but in actual fact the rotator cuff is made up | | | | anti-inflammatories to work on the inflammation. |
| of a group of four separate muscles that together are | | | | Once the joint started to settle down I began some |
| responsible for moving the shoulder and holding the | | | | easy exercises based on Pilates aimed at developing |
| shoulder joint together. They are all grouped around | | | | control and flexibility whilst strengthening the muscles. |
| the shoulder and run across the back, front top and | | | | The exercises started easily with movements that I |
| bottom of the shoulder joint. Some of the muscles run | | | | could manage despite my injury all the time taking care |
| under each other and they all run under and over the | | | | not to cause any pain and gradually built up until full pain |
| bones of the shoulder. | | | | free movement had returned. Just ten weeks after I |
| So, depending on what rotator cuff injury you suffer, if | | | | started the programme I played my first game of golf |
| the damaged muscle gets inflamed and starts to swell | | | | in over six months. Obviously I was out of practice and |
| you end up with the swollen muscle getting pinched, | | | | well below my normal performance but six months |
| either between other muscles or by one of the bones | | | | ago I could barely think about lifting a golf club yet |
| such as the shoulder blade or collar bone. When you | | | | alone think about taking a swing at a ball. |
| try moving the inflamed muscle, tendons can literally | | | | My operation date has passed. I postponed and I am |
| start to fray like old rope. | | | | fairly confident that barring accidents, I will be cancelling |
| So what can you do about it. I tried various things, high | | | | it all together. My theory is that the exercises improved |
| dose Ibuprofen for about three months, a steroid | | | | my posture sufficiently to free up the impinged tendons |
| injection into the rotator cuff muscle as well as cold | | | | on their own. I know that as we get older our posture |
| compresses to reduce the swelling. All gave me some | | | | changes. I know that I am holding my shoulders a bit |
| relief but nothing managed to cure it so I was offered | | | | straighter these days. Maybe by re-educating our |
| an operation to shave away a piece of bone to free | | | | bodies and waking up a few lazy muscles we can |
| up the impinged tendon so that it could heal. | | | | sort out lots of potential health problems. |
| Being UK based the operation date was three months | | | | In the meantime I am carrying on with the exercises. |
| away so I began to research the subject. I found out | | | | One rotator cuff injury is enough for anyone. |