Shoulder Rehab Exercises Fixed my Shoulder

The one thing that all shoulder injuries have in common is that at some point you are going to have to exercise your injured shoulder in order to get it pain free and moving again.  It is up to you whether this is instead of an operation or after an operation.

I tore my rotator cuff lifting some furniture that was too heavy resulting in too much force being put on my rotator cuff tendons in my left shoulder.  They tore.  I know that because I heard them go.  Just a quiet pop but I knew that I had done something bad.  What I had was an acute tear.  It comes about as the result of a sudden force.  You can also end up with an acute tear as the result of a knock or fall but the most common cause is through sports, specifically sports where you are throwing which is why rotator cuff syndrome is sometimes called pitchers shoulder.

With an acute tear you need to immobilise your shoulder for a while to let it heal before you begin any king of shoulder rehab exercise.  Using a sling is great but definitely avoid any action that causes pain or discomfort or you will end up making the injury worse probably needing corrective surgery.  You also need to treat the inflammation using ice packs and anti-inflammatory drugs.  If the pain carries on for more than a couple of days see your doctor who may decide to administer a steroid injection to reduce inflammation.  When the inflammation and pain have subsided you can start exercises to build up and strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.  These will often be pilates or Yoga based as they focus on restoring control and flexibility as well as strength which is vital to avoid future problems.

A chronic tear on the other hand comes about through wear and tear.  It usually occurs in the over forties as our posture changes but can also happen to anyone who works overhead a lot such as painters and decorators.  A Chronic tear is caused by tendons getting rubbed against bone in our shoulder.  It tends to start gradually with you experiencing pain at night and the pain gradually gets worse over time as the tendon gets more and more frayed. The shoulder graduall;y gets weaker and you will start to experience pain as you raise your arm.  A tendon can snap completely if this condition is ignored but this is fairly uncommon simply because most people seek help because of the pain.

If you have a chronic tear you will again need to focus on bringing dowm the inflammation and managing the pain.  Trying to avoid painful movements will help but in order to rehabilitate a chronic tear you need to deal with the underlying problem.  If this is age related, exercises to improve posture will help.  Again Pilates and Yoga based exercises are good as they focus on control and flexibility  and also tend to improve core strength which can directly improve your posture.  Get your posture back to how it should be and healthy shoulders quickly follow.

My main tip for getting your shoulder back to full working order is rest.  Do not ignore this one tip like I did which is why I ended up in pain for six months and facing surgery.

Whatever you did to injure yoru shoulder carrying on regardless will make it worse. Resting your shoulder is not easy, especially if it is your dominant arm simply because you use your arms all the time and consequently are using your shoulder as well. Change the way in which you work to avoid any movement that causes pain.  Simple things like moving things on your desk at work can make a huge difference as can giving up driving for a few weeks.  Not convenient but it will definitely help in the long run.  Only when the inflammation and pain has subsided is it safe to start shoulder rehab exercises.

And once your shoulder is better, keep up the exercises and keep your shoulders strong.