About 1 in 5 adults experience shoulder pain. Rotator cuff tendon pain is the most common type. If you are experiencing shoulder pain during overhead activities, you may be suffering from rotator cuff tendinitis. This article teaches you the best kinds of exercise to alleviate your shoulder pain.
What is Rotator Cuff Tendinitis?
Four small muscles and tendons make up your rotator cuff. They span from your shoulder blade to your upper arm. The primary function of your rotator cuff is to stabilize the ball in the socket of your shoulder joint. Without a properly functioning rotator cuff, raising your arms overhead becomes painful or impossible.
Injury leads to inflammation, tendon degeneration, and possibly tendon tearing. Tendinitis implies there is inflammation of the tendons. However, chronic tendon weakness and degeneration cause most rotator cuff pain. In severe cases, this may progress to small or large tears of your rotator cuff. In any of these cases, the right kinds of exercise will help.
Exercise Proven to Help Rotator Cuff Tendinitis
A 2017 study from the United Kingdom investigated 3 different types of exercise in 120 people with rotator cuff pain. The 3 exercise programs were open-chain band exercises, closed-chain exercises, and range of motion exercises.
After 6 weeks, all 3 groups reported significant improvements in pain and function. There were no differences between the 3 groups. This suggests all 3 types of exercise are effective. We believe the best approach is a combination of all 3. The exact program is always based on your physical therapist’s examination.
The 3 Best Types of Exercises to Beat Rotator Cuff Pain
Open-Chain Resistance Band Exercises
Open-chain exercises are done with your body part freely moving in space. A biceps curl is an example because your forearm, hand, and weight are moving freely in space. Resistance bands are excellent for this purpose because they are portable and can be used anywhere.
The 3 most common resistance band exercises for your rotator cuff are internal rotation, external rotation, and scaptions. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions daily.
Closed-Chain Exercises
Closed-chain exercises are done with your arm fixed to an immovable object like the floor or a wall. Push-ups are a classic example. To strengthen your shoulder muscles, we recommend doing the push-up plus and shoulder taps. Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps daily.
Range of Motion Exercises
Your shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body. Any loss of motion leads to pain and poor function. Also, when your shoulder becomes painful you will quickly lose range of motion. This happens without you even realizing it.
The 2 most important movements to maintain are external rotation and overhead flexion. Hold each stretch for 10 seconds (or more) and do 10 reps each day.
See Your Physical Therapist for a Personalized Plan
Your physical therapist will perform a detailed examination of your range of motion, strength, and function. Based on the results of your exam, a personalized exercise program is developed.
Remember, it is important that you perform your exercises daily. Also, your exercises must be progressed or made more challenging. This is especially true when it comes to increasing the loads used with your strengthening exercises.
Contact our office to schedule an initial evaluation with your physical therapist. The doctors of physical therapy at BSR have been helping people in Southern Ocean County move without pain since 2007. Start feeling better today.
