Rotator Cuff Injuries

Not just for baseball pitchers

Shoulder pain and injury can be quite debilitating and frustrating, especially when training and everyday activities are affected.

The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles (the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor) and their tendons. It’s surrounded by a bursa, which aids in the sliding of these tendons. When the rotator cuff muscles are working properly, they function to hold the humerus (upper arm bone) in the proper position in the joint, by maintaining adequate spacing between the bone and the rotator cuff. However, when one or more of the muscles is weak, an imbalance occurs and the space between the bone and the rotator cuff decreases.

Impingement, the pinching of the surrounding bursa or tendons, will likely occur in this case and lead to inflammation. When the rotator cuff is weak, repetitive use of the shoulder in sports – such as swimming, tennis and baseball – will increase the amount of inflammation and pain. Continuing to exercise in this state could lead to tendonitis.

Symptoms

If you start to feel any sort of shoulder pain or twinge, it’s a good idea to stop the activity and get your shoulder checked out by a physiotherapist. Continuing to exercise with shoulder pain will just make things worse, and will result in a longer recovery period.

Treatment

Three very effective remedies that will likely be prescribed by your physiotherapist are:

• Icing and rest to reduce inflammation.
• Stretching and manipulation to increase mobility.
• Strengthening exercises to strengthen weak muscles and correct any muscle imbalances.

Rotator cuff problems are a very common and are often the root of many shoulder injuries. Thus, it’s very important to stay in tune with your body when starting a new activity, and also to monitor any shoulder soreness / tenderness – it can be corrected very simply if it’s caught in time!