Sometimes, exercising at home or with a trained gym instructor can land you in hot water. The rotator cuff tear is quite a common injury seen in weight lifters. It is also known to occur with most shoulder injuries such as dislocation and broken collarbones.
This blog post shares how to recover from a rotator cuff tear through exercises. Let Quality Recovery, in Washington DC, help you through your injury with five simple stretches and exercises.
The Pendulum Swing
Stand to the side of a table or another steady object and place your uninjured arm on top for stability. Gently lean forward without rounding out those back muscles and allow yourself to dangle freely as if you were weightless. Then, move your hand up next in front while gently shifting your left then right slightly before slowly bringing them both together overhead (right over left). Next, go ahead down again but do so at different speeds taking care not to break eye contact! Repeat this entire exercise switching sides every few reps until fatigued – try doing all movements involved four times each with 1-minute rest intervals between the sets.
The Crossover Arm Stretch
Stand up straight, relax your injured arm across your chest but below the chin; reach as far as possible to your other, healthy arm. You can do this by holding your elbow area throughout the exercise—feel the stretch, but not the pain when performing this stretch.
Repeat for the other side as well.
Standing Row
Try this simple but effective exercise for your rotator cuff tear. Stand facing a doorframe with your arm bent at the elbow and close to your body. Hold one end of an elastic band in each hand; then start pulling back on both ends until they are outstretched as far as possible. Do not create any tension in the bars! Repeat for the other side, too. You should feel some relief within three days.
The Internal Rotation
To do this exercise, attach one end of an elastic exercise loop to a steady object like your door, so it will not slip, and stand in front with hands at sides. Then bend your elbow close to your side while keeping the elastic band flat against your body. Ensure this is near your ribs before swinging you forearm over your midsection. Go towards your opposite hip-side shoulder joint as much as possible without jerking or tensing up muscles here (this should feel good). Do the same thing on the other arm next!
Finally, the Posterior Stretch
Our final exercise is quite simple. Stand up and relax your shoulders a bit, hold the elbow region of your injured arm with the other, and cross your body with the hand of your injured arm, resting it on the opposite soldier. Now, slightly push the hand of the uninjured arm up and over the body. This will help stretch the muscle and provide relief.
Quality Recovery, serving Washington DC, offers much needed pain management and rehabilitation services. To get started, contact us today.
