Beginner & Advanced Rotator Cu Exercises For Shoulder Pain - Myodetox 6/12/17, 8:14 PM

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Beginner & Advanced Rotator Cu Exercises For Shoulder Pain - Myodetox 6/12/17, 8:14 PM

Its Summer and youre probably going to want to show

o those Summer Shoulders! But whats the point if the
"ex isnt as strong as it looks? Lets dive into some
rotator cu exercises that can be used to prevent and
rehab your shoulder injuries.

It happens to a number of us: picture yourself in the gym and you hear that sound or get
that pain in your shoulder. Its that shoulder pain which limits the rest of your workout and
ends up nagging you for the next week. Commonly youve strained a muscle in the shoulder.

First o, the shoulder joint is a complex part of the body with a number of rotator cu muscles
that are prone to injury, varying in severity and speci#c type. To eectively understand how to
properly rehab the shoulder and prevent further injury, we must #rst understand the relevant
shoulder muscles in order to give the appropriate rotator cu exercises.

Below is a picture of each muscle in action:

Supraspinatus

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Arm straight by side

Push with band (or against wall/table/etc without band)

Subscapularis

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About Us Locations Learn Contact

Book a Session

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Abduction of shoulder to 45-90 degrees, internal rotation

Infraspinatus

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Abduction of shoulder to 90 degrees, external rotation

Teres Minor

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Abduction of shoulder to 45 degrees, external rotation

These pictures above provide the foundation of treatment for a rotator cu injury. With this, we
can apply a progressive strengthening principle that can be used to strengthen the rotator
cu.

Start with holding these contractions within a pain free range. These are called isometric
holds, which are the most basic of our shoulder exercises. Our goal is performing static holds
that are direction speci#c for the individual rotator cu muscles. Try to pick a point between
the two pictures and hold is for 5-10 seconds for 3-5 repetitions.

We can progress these exercises by concentrically and eccentrically moving through

available muscle range and eventually loading the muscles eccentrically. What we want to do

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Beginner & Advanced Rotator Cu Exercises For Shoulder Pain - Myodetox 6/12/17, 8:14 PM

here is move back and forth between the #rst and second picture for each muscle shown.

Additionally, here are another three exercises that are more advanced:

Bully Stretch

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This is a great stretch to help open up the whole shoulder area. There are a number of muscles
that can get tight, leading to overuse rotator cu injuries. Use this stretch as maintenance
after your upper body training days. Try to aim for a 20-30 second stretch for 3-4 repetitions
total.

Lawn Mower Pull

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This movement is a more complex, multidirectional movement involving the rotator cu

muscles. It incorporates the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor and teaches them
to coordinate themselves while stabilizing the shoulder blade throughout the movement.

Wood Chopper

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As the lawn mower exercise above, this is more advanced, multi-directional movement. This
one aims to get the other rotator cu muscle, subscapularis, working with your larger chest
and back muscles.

Our shoulders are a muscle group that we usually dont think about throughout our day. But
when we experience some sort of injury, regardless of its severity, pain and weakness can limit
our ability to eectively coordinate our everyday complex movements. Including any
upcoming Summer sports, activities, and events with family and friends. Thats why these
seemingly simple exercises are so important to help rehab ourselves back to our full
potential.

Use these exercises but make sure you speak with your local therapist to ensure the speci#c
aspects of your injury are well understood.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex's passion in physical therapy stems focuses on improving function and athletic performance. He uses a
global approach for his clients, putting their unique circumstances at the absolute forefront of each
treatment interaction.

Alex utilizes manual therapy and functional re-training to individually customize his programs to include the
proper education and resources to help his clients reach their various goals.

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ROTATOR CUFF ROTATOR CUFF INJURY ROTATOR CUFF MUSCLES

SHOULDER EXERCISES SHOULDER JOINT SHOULDER PAIN

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