| Bodybuilders and others who train with weights can be | | | | An awareness of your rotator cuff and its |
| very susceptible to rotator cuff injury. This is because | | | | vulnerabilities, caution while training, strict form, warming |
| of the nature of the activity. Many isolation exercises | | | | up and cooling down effectively, good exercise choice |
| and machines force the body to move in ways that | | | | and a balanced routine should all add up to provide |
| are less than natural in terms of everyday | | | | solid insurance against injury and swift recovery in the |
| movements. These kinds of movements place | | | | event of an injury. |
| stresses on joints and muscles in ways they are | | | | Anyone who engages in weight training regularly |
| unaccustomed to being stressed and this increases | | | | should already have good body awareness and be |
| the likelihood of injury. | | | | following a balanced routine. They should also be |
| Chances are if you are at all familiar with your rotator | | | | warming up and cooling down properly. These are the |
| cuff it is because you have injured it at some stage as | | | | "common sense" factors that are widely known by |
| it is a part of the body that usually goes unnoticed until | | | | most weight trainers. |
| something goes wrong. The rotator cuff comprises of | | | | However, fewer weight trainers know which |
| four muscles and their respective tendons: the | | | | exercises can either place undue stress on the |
| supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and | | | | muscles of the rotator cuff or increase the danger of |
| subscapularis. These muscles work together to | | | | impingement and thus should be avoided or used with |
| support the shoulder joint and unfortunately can be | | | | extreme care. One such exercise the upright row. |
| quite vulnerable to injury in certain circumstances. Poor | | | | The upright row is usually done with heavy weight and |
| form and poor exercise choice (with regard to | | | | places a lot of stress on the elbow joints and wrist |
| biomechanics) as well as overuse can take their toll on | | | | joints as well as the shoulder. To look at it is a very |
| the rotator cuff. | | | | unnatural seeming movement and this alone should |
| A rotator cuff injury is not pleasant and can be quite | | | | give us caution. As far as the rotator cuff is |
| debilitating. If you've ever injured your rotator cuff you | | | | concerned the problem is that at the top of the |
| will have realized how much you took these muscles | | | | movement, where there is the most stress, the |
| for granted prior to the injury. An injured rotator cuff | | | | shoulder is in internal rotation and this greatly increases |
| can restrict your shoulder and arm movement | | | | the chance of impingement which can result in |
| (especially overhead movement) and can severely | | | | degeneration of the rotator cuff, bursitis and tendonitis. |
| impact your ability to train effectively as the shoulder | | | | If you find this movement in the slightest bit |
| joint is used in every upper body exercise. It can also | | | | uncomfortable then you should seriously consider |
| be very painful at night if you usually sleep on your | | | | dropping it from your routine. |
| side. The injury can take a long time to heal and may | | | | The upright row is just one example of a 'standard' |
| leave weaknesses that make the cuff susceptible to | | | | exercise that places the rotator cuff at risk. There are |
| re-injury. Extreme cases may even require surgery. | | | | others and if you train regularly you should find out if |
| Exercises and physical therapy are non-surgical ways | | | | any of the exercises you routinely do are likely to be |
| of treating an existing rotator cuff injury but as with | | | | putting you at risk of injury. |
| anything, prevention is better than cure. | | | | Remember, prevention is better than cure. |
| So how can rotator cuff injury be prevented? | | | | |