5 Exercises to Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff

Those who practise sports might be aware of this particular injury firsthand. The shoulder is important for us not just when it comes to athletics but also in our daily life activities that include lifting our shoulders for picking heavy-weight items or just combing our hair. Our shoulder consists of the ball and socket joint that connects our shoulder bone to our upper arm. Four muscles attach these bones together known as the rotator cuff. An injury to this area might pose a hindrance to us and potentially not allow us to perform daily activities. A good way to ensure this area is strong enough is to do rotator cuff exercises. Just like we exercise to keep our bodies fit and healthy to withstand injuries, rotator cuff strengthening exercises can help you in maintaining the strength of your shoulder.

Even if you have injured the area, you can still perform exercises for torn rotator cuff without surgery having to loom over your mind. Here are 5 rotator cuff exercises that you can try out:

1] External Rotations 

This exercise is to be done while lying down on your side.

1. Lie down on a flat surface on the opposite side of the shoulder that has been injured.
2. Bend the upper arm at a 90-degree angle with a small weight in hand.
3. Ensure your armrests against your body and raise your forearm upwards.
4. Hold your arm in that position for a few seconds before bringing it down.
5. Repeat in sets as per the recommendation or as per your requirements.
6. Make sure that you do not use any form of heavyweights here.

2] Doorway Stretches

Injuries often require us to be more aware of safe exercises and movements that do not cause further harm to them. Doorway stretches are among the rotator cuff injury exercises that you can do.

1. Stand in between a doorway, holding on to the door frame on both sides.
2. Make sure your arms are at shoulder level or below that, but not higher.
3. Grip the edge of the doorway and lean forward slightly until you feel a little bit of a stretch.
4. You can lean further ahead to make the stretch a little more intense but do not overexert yourself.
5. Return back to the initial position and do the stretch again a few more times.

3] Pendulum Stretch 

For some safe exercises with rotator cuff injury, this is a good one.

1. Rest one arm on a support such as a chair or a railing.
2. Lean forward while keeping your back straight – almost at a 90-degree angle.
3. Let the other arm hang freely.
4. In a gentle manner, swing your arm from one side to the other.
5. To change direction, swing it back and forth.
6. Then swing your arms in a circular direction.
7. Return back to the standing position then repeat the exercise on the other arm.

4] Lawn Mower

For this one of the rotator cuff therapy exercises, you will need equipment. You can either use a resistance band or a weight.

1. Position yourself with legs apart at shoulder width.
2. Place one end of the resistance band under one foot and the other end is to be held by the injured arm.
3. The resistance band should be placed under the opposite leg of the injured arm.
4. Bend a little at your waist while locking your knees and start moving the arm in a slow movement as if you were mowing your lawn using the mower.
5. Take your arm all the way up, exceeding the shoulder level.
6. Make sure your shoulders are not tense and that your band is parallel to the other knee.
7. Do this in sets of 2 or 3 on one side before switching to the other.

5] Crossover Arm Stretch 

This exercise is pretty easy and does not require much effort. This is a good rotator cuff strengthening exercise that can be done without supervision or the requirement of equipment.

1. Loosen your shoulders and hold them straight, perpendicular to your chest.
2. Hold the wrist of the other arm in front of the stretched out arm, locking it.
3. Pull it in gently till you feel a light stretch in your shoulder muscles.
4. Hold the position for a few seconds before releasing.
5. Repeat a few times before switching sides.

These rotator cuff exercises should prove to be beneficial whether you are looking to strengthen your shoulder or recovering from an injury. In case you experience symptoms like stiffness, pain or swelling in your shoulder area, feeling tender around the joint area then you should visit a doctor.

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