Torn Rotator Cuff Treatment - Exercise Or Rest?

Yes is the answer but not in that order. It also depends on how badly you have torn it. Most tears will respond to rest and exercise but any serious partial tear or full tear may require surgery before you do any therapy exercise.

The important thing with any type of torn rotator cuff treatment is to rest and let the injury begin to heal. Working through the pain of a rotator cuff is likely to leave you needing surgery as you do more damage to the tendons.. so rest is the first order of the day.

Along with rest, you need to reduce the inflammation before you can think about starting any form of exercise. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that help to stabilise the shoulder joint by pulling the head of the humerus into the socket of the shoulder joint. They are small but important muscles that surround the shoulder joint forming a cuff of muscle that supports it. in doing so they run over and sometimes under the bones of the shoulder.

Any inflammation to these tendons can cause pain as the inflamed tendon can catch or impinge on bone. A classic example of this is the supraspinatus muscle which runs under the collar bone and the acromion of the shoulder blade. When this muscle become inflamed it can catch on the channel of bone and start to fray. Worst case scenario is that it could eventually snap leaving you needing shoulder surgery.

So let the muscles rest. This means avoiding any movement that causes pain. If your work involves a lot of overhead movement you may need to modify the way in which you work. If you sit at a desk, you might need to rearrange your desk to avoid stretching or reaching movements with the damaged arm. It might even be necessary to take a few days off to rest the arm properly.

At the same times start to treat the inflammation. This could be by using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen and also by using ice packs on the damaged muscle to help to reduce swelling. If symptoms persist it may be necessary to have a cortisone injection into the muscle to combat the inflammation. Your doctor should be able to do this for you.

Once the muscle has started to settle down you can start simple exercises aimed at strengthening the rotator cuff muscles. Do not rush off to the gym thinking that any type of exercise will do the trick. It won't. Using weights before the muscle has healed properly is likely to cause more damage.

Rotator cuff exercises use little or no weight when recovering from an injury. They will start with gentle exercises that do not cause any pain. If you feel pain when exercising stop immediately as this is an indication of further damage being done. It may be that you started exercising too soon.

And finally, when your shoulder is fixed and back to its full pain free movement, don't stop the exercises. Rotator cuff injuries are very common but a lot of them can be avoided by keeping the rotator cuff muscles strong so just take five or ten minutes a day to keep them in shape.

If you found this article useful or just plain interesting then check out my site at

http://myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com

My name is Nick Bryant and I am an older dad to two young children aged seven and five. I am keen on staying fit and active so that I can enjoy an active life with my children as they grow. Having suffered a shoulder injury that put me out of action for several painful months, I ws keen to share my experience and let others know how I managed a full recovery without surgery despite being told that it was necessary.