How to Cure Rotator Cuff Pain
Rotator cuff pain is something that most of us will experience to some degree. It occurs when the shoulder is overused or stressed repeatedly. Baseball pitchers are a good example of someone who would typically have pain from overuse in this area. If you have pain in the shoulder there's a good chance it's a rotator cuff injury or tear.
Instructions
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Rotator cuff pain can be excruciating and you may be tempted to panic. No need for that! I have torn my rotator several times and each time rehabbed it on my own. The most serious took 6 months to heal, so it may take time. It's easy to injure a tendon all it takes is one wrong fast move and bam it's done, even if you're a great athlete or trainer it can get you.
Once you feel pain ice needs to be your best friend and I mean FAST best friend! The sooner you ice the injury the better; this one action could take weeks or months off your rehab. Do not stop all movement due to pain, you will be tempted to, but continue to slowly work with it, otherwise you could get frozen shoulder.
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Crazy as it sounds you do not completely rest the shoulder when you have rotator cuff pain. But instead continually work it by massaging and stretching "SLOWLY" any fast movement will make you wish you didn't have a shoulder!
By the second day you can alternate ice and heat treatment. You also want to progressively increase mobility a little at a time until you have full range of motion. Be patient this may take days, weeks or months depending on the seriousness of the injury. Don't push it, if you feel a sharp pain BACK OFF.
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You may need to literally lift the arm up with the other arm to move it, but that's okay. To work through there is pain involved, even if you go to a physical therapist it's going to hurt. If you don't do anything then you may not get full range of motion or strength back and that's a big price to pay.
In time you will be able to move it like normal only slower. It's at this time you begin resistance exercises along with stretching to build strength. Exercise bands or small dumb bells work great for this. Front and side lateral raises as well as internal and external rotation exercises are a good place to start.
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The best way to cure rotator cuff pain is to prevent it. As mentioned above, it can happen quickly, especially playing sport. However, you can take precautions such as not overdoing or stressing shoulders. Keep in mind, when you workout with weights that you should know your limitations, but still keep shoulder muscles strong and flexible.
You can still train with a rotator cuff injury by working around it. I have an article on how to do just that in the resources below. It's better to remain active and do what you can than do nothing.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Flickr.com
