The rotator cuff in the shoulder joint is a very unique joint that allows range of motion of the arm in various planes of motion. The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint which allows the arm to move in a broad range of motions. Along with the broad range of motions that are involved include some muscular attachments that can be very prone to injury due to the lack of bony attachments. The attachments that are involved in the shoulder joint include small tendons and ligaments that hold the upper arm to the clavicle and shoulder blade. Tendons attach muscles to bone and ligaments attach bones to bones. With these attachments being so small and compact come the likelihood to injure this area way more prevalent.
A very common injury to the rotator cuff joint is something called Frozen Shoulder. Frozen Shoulder is the hardening of the ligamentous tissue that attaches the humerus (upper arm bone) to the shoulder and rib cage. When the hardening of that connective tissue occurs, range of motion is limited and episodes of pain can occur as well.
While there are many scenarios that can lead to the causing of Frozen Shoulder, a common cause is the inactivity of the muscles around the shoulder joint. One of the best ways to avoid injury is to implement a injury prevention routine in your exercise routine. Ensuring that the shoulder joint is properly warmed up is a great way to prevent rotator cuff injury during your exercise session and in everyday life. In addition, warming up the rotator cuff in your exercise routine and implementing a dynamic stretching routine two to three times a week will counteract the detrimental effects of under use injuries.
In this video below, you can see an example of protraction and retraction of the shoulder. Performing this exercise one to two times a week will help decrease the effects of under use of the shoulder joint and can also help to alleviate pain in the rotator cuff area. Frozen Shoulder is one of the many causes of lack of productivity in people who experience rotator cuff injuries. It is important to ensure that the rotator cuff is healthy throughout your life, and one way of doing that is to exercise in a safe and uniformed routine. At Napa tenacious Fitness, we have our Personal Training clients perform a dynamic stretching routine every time before they exercise. This Dynamic Stretching Routine covers a wide variety of muscles, focusing on all of the range of motions of the shoulder. The shoulder and protraction and retraction technique that you can see in this video is something that we have our personal training clients in the Napa Valley perform to help decrease the likelihood of shoulder injuries.
If you have any questions regarding strengthening and recovery of the shoulder joint from shoulder rotator cuff injuries, feel free to reach out to us at napatenacious@gmail.com!
