| Yes is the answer but not in that order. It also depends | | | | need to rearrange your desk to avoid stretching or |
| on how badly you have torn it. Most tears will respond | | | | reaching movements with the damaged arm. It might |
| to rest and exercise but any serious partial tear or full | | | | even be necessary to take a few days off to rest the |
| tear may require surgery before you do any therapy | | | | arm properly. |
| exercise. | | | | At the same times start to treat the inflammation. This |
| The important thing with any type of torn rotator cuff | | | | could be by using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs |
| treatment is to rest and let the injury begin to heal. | | | | such as Ibuprofen and also by using ice packs on the |
| Working through the pain of a rotator cuff is likely to | | | | damaged muscle to help to reduce swelling. If |
| leave you needing surgery as you do more damage | | | | symptoms persist it may be necessary to have a |
| to the tendons.. so rest is the first order of the day. | | | | cortisone injection into the muscle to combat the |
| Along with rest, you need to reduce the inflammation | | | | inflammation. Your doctor should be able to do this for |
| before you can think about starting any form of | | | | you. |
| exercise. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that | | | | Once the muscle has started to settle down you can |
| help to stabilise the shoulder joint by pulling the head of | | | | start simple exercises aimed at strengthening the |
| the humerus into the socket of the shoulder joint. They | | | | rotator cuff muscles. Do not rush off to the gym |
| are small but important muscles that surround the | | | | thinking that any type of exercise will do the trick. It |
| shoulder joint forming a cuff of muscle that supports it. | | | | won't. Using weights before the muscle has healed |
| in doing so they run over and sometimes under the | | | | properly is likely to cause more damage. |
| bones of the shoulder. | | | | Rotator cuff exercises use little or no weight when |
| Any inflammation to these tendons can cause pain as | | | | recovering from an injury. They will start with gentle |
| the inflamed tendon can catch or impinge on bone. A | | | | exercises that do not cause any pain. If you feel pain |
| classic example of this is the supraspinatus muscle | | | | when exercising stop immediately as this is an |
| which runs under the collar bone and the acromion of | | | | indication of further damage being done. It may be that |
| the shoulder blade. When this muscle become inflamed | | | | you started exercising too soon. |
| it can catch on the channel of bone and start to fray. | | | | And finally, when your shoulder is fixed and back to its |
| Worst case scenario is that it could eventually snap | | | | full pain free movement, don't stop the exercises. |
| leaving you needing shoulder surgery. | | | | Rotator cuff injuries are very common but a lot of |
| So let the muscles rest. This means avoiding any | | | | them can be avoided by keeping the rotator cuff |
| movement that causes pain. If your work involves a lot | | | | muscles strong so just take five or ten minutes a day |
| of overhead movement you may need to modify the | | | | to keep them in shape. |
| way in which you work. If you sit at a desk, you might | | | | |