What is the rotator cuff and why is exercise so important?

The rotator cuff is a set of four muscles and their tendons that surround your shoulder. You may have heard their scientific names before. Supraspinitus, subscapularis, infraspinitus, and teres minor. Together, these muscles work like a well oiled team, helping us do all the countless different shoulder and arm movements that we need to do throughout the day.

Think of a tall radio antenna tower or tent pole. You want the tower to stand straight up and not blow over in the wind. So usually these towers are tied down by several guy wires that pull on it in all directions.

Your rotator cuff muscles function in exactly the same way. They keep the ball of your shoulder join in its socket. While you are lifting something heavy, your rotator cuff muscles have to pull down on your shoulder at the same time as your deltoid is pulling up. Otherwise your shoulder would pop out of its socket.

Click here to learn about rotator cuff training and injury recovery.

If you throw a baseball really hard, your rotator cuff muscles have to pull back at the same time to decelerate your arm and keep it from flying off your body.

So your rotator cuff muscles really do play a crucial role in most of your shoulder movements. Surprisingly, most people ignore these muscles and never get around to stretching or strengthening them. Without exercise, these muscles gradually weaken and become more and more prone to injury.

To keep your rotator cuff muscles strong and healthy, or to recover from an rotator cuff injury, its essential that you stretch and exercise these muscles.

A targeted program of rotator cuff exercise therapy can make the difference between a short recovery and long painful chronic condition.

Click here to learn how you can recover from your shoulder pain.

Filed under: Rotator Cuff Exercise • Rotator Cuff Pain

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