| Shoulder impingement exercises are probably the last | | | | short list for surgery but having already suffered a |
| thing on your mind when you have a shoulder | | | | great deal of discomfort, I was reluctant to wait any |
| impingement. Any movement is painful so why would | | | | longer so started researching shoulder impingement |
| you subject yourself to further pain. | | | | treatment on the internet. |
| A shoulder impingement is a debilitating condition. I | | | | I discovered that exercise is the key to recovery. Not |
| know because I managed to tear my rotator cuff at | | | | lifting weights but exercises aimed at rehabilitating the |
| the end of last year and ended up with a shoulder | | | | rotator cuff. Start off with proper rest. That means |
| impingement as a result of it. My supraspinatus tendon | | | | avoiding completely any movement that causes you |
| had become inflamed and was getting pinched every | | | | pain. The pain is an indicator that you are damaging the |
| time that I tried lifting my left arm. | | | | muscle more. This meant some fairly radical changes |
| The pain was unbearable. At one point I was maxed | | | | to my daily routine including giving up driving for a few |
| out on pain killers and carrying a TENS machine | | | | weeks. |
| around wired up to my shoulder just so that I could | | | | Treat the inflammation. I maxed out on anti |
| function. In case you do not know what I am talking | | | | inflammatory drugs and used ice packs to bring down |
| about. The supraspinatus is one of the rotator cuff | | | | the inflammation in the tendon. As things started to |
| muscles. | | | | ease up I started some Pilates based exercises to |
| The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that | | | | gently stretch the muscles and stabilise the joint, |
| surround the shoulder helping to stabilise it. They all hold | | | | gradually moving on to strengthening exercises. By |
| the head of the humerus in place in the socket of the | | | | starting slowly and building up gradually over a few |
| shoulder joint and all travel from the shoulder blade to | | | | weeks I was able to avoid any pain or further damage |
| the upper arm. They are relatively small muscles but | | | | to my rotator cuff. |
| vital to a healthy shoulder joint. Unfortunately they are | | | | My shoulder returned to normal, pain free and fully |
| also prone to injury especially for anyone who uses | | | | mobile without the planned surgery! What do I put this |
| their shoulders a lot in sport or at work. Painters and | | | | down to? I believe that the over forties are susceptible |
| decorators who are working above head height are | | | | to this injury because we change shape as we age. |
| prone to rotator cuff problems as is anyone who | | | | Our posture changes, we carry ourselves differently, |
| throws a ball in sport. The last group that are | | | | sit badly and change the way in which we use some |
| vulnerable are the over forties. | | | | of our joints. We can get a bit lazy even. Our |
| That is where I fit in! | | | | movements are not as fluid as when we were |
| A rotator cuff injury is a vicious circle. Once the tendon | | | | younger. All this has an impact on the body and leads |
| gets inflamed it can get pinched within a channel of | | | | to problems. Exercising properly gets things working |
| bone that it runs through. Because it gets pinched it | | | | again, sorts out our posture and gets rid of some of |
| gets more inflamed, gets pinched more, gets more | | | | the problems that have crept in over time. This is not a |
| inflamed....see where I am going? Untreated the end | | | | revelation. |
| result is that you could eventually snap the tendon | | | | All of us know that we need to exercise to stay |
| altogether leaving you with a very nasty shoulder | | | | young. Sometimes it takes something like a shoulder |
| injury. After around four months of pain, I was on a | | | | injury to remind us how important it is. |