Rotator Cuff?

C

clareMc

Cathlete
Dear everyone:

I saw on a recent post people recommending shoulder rotator cuff exercises that Cathe apparently does not include on either pH or MIS (the only vids I have with upper body work).

Can I please ask: what is this exercise and how do I perform it?

Shoulders are a weak area for pathetic, upper-body ecto-me and maybe I should add this exercise to my program.

Does Cathe do rotator cuff stuff on CTX?

Thanks in advance for answering ,

Clare
 
On Slow and Heavy she does external rotator cuff raises. I wish I could just show them to you. There are other ones you can do too. Basically it's rotation of the shoulder- like if your arms are straight down at your sides, with elbows bent at a right angle, your hand making an arc around you (with elbows glued to your sides).

Now picture doing this motion with resistance. Using a dumbbell you'd have to bend over. Or lie down. I bet you can see some examples of it on some web sites. Last month there was a photo of it on Karen Voight's website.
 
Problem is that most rotator cuff problems originate not from a weakness of the external rotators per se, but from a supraspinatus weakness. The supraspinatus is responsible for maintaining normal joint mechanics and won't be worked successfully with simple internal/external shoulder exercises.

Also, the exercises described here aren't resistance for the rotator cuff at all--they aren't working against gravity if the trunk is upright and the forearm is parallel to the floor. I see this error in training occurring in the gym on a daily basis. The only muscle group getting resistance in this position is the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis.

If anyone is interested, I can post supraspinatus exercises.
Maribeth
 
Yes, please do post the supraspinatus exercises. This is an area I want to protect so that I can be injury free forever. I know it's very vulnerable, so I would like to work on it. thanks very much.
Freda
 
Hi Maribeth,
I'd love for you to post the exercise as well as my boyfriend is having a lot of problems with his rotator cuff and so far has been getting no advice regarding exercises to do. Thanks in advance!
 
Maribeth:

yes, please post them!

I went to "karenvoight.com "and saw the exercise you speak of for rotator cuff listed under move of the month for September. She has illustrations of it there. Are you saying that these would be no good for the shoulders, only for the biceps?

Please post the alternatives and thanks!

Clare
 
The key to maintaining a stable and well functioning shoulder joint is keeping a strong supraspinatus. Unlike the other three muscles of the RC, the primary action of the supraspinatus is shoulder abduction in the scapular plane during the first 30 or so degrees of range of motion. It acts to normalize joint mechanics by keeping the head of the humerus seated within the glenoid fossa of the scapula and preventing the humeral head from gliding too far in the upward and anterior direction.

A weak supraspinatus is usually the culprit when there is an impingement problem in the shoulder that isn't the result of a traumatic injury or large bone spur. Typical rotation exercises, even when performed properly, do little to strengthen the supraspinatus. Neither do regular lateral raises.

What does work very well are a couple of exercises known as the empty can and full can, aka scaption exercises. They involve abduction of the shoulder in the scapular plane (about halfway between where you would lift for a lateral raise and a front raise). The empty can is performed with the shoulder in an internally rotated position with the thumb pointed down. The full can is performed with the shoulder in external rotation with the thumb pointed up.

With these exercises, maximum weight used will be 5 pounds--usually less--since heavier weights will end up recruiting the deltoids for the work. The lift goes no higher than 90 degrees, and less if there's pain--stay in the pain free range at all times. The goal with these exercises is improvement in local muscular endurance more than maximizing strength, so the reps are high--shooting for 2-3 sets of 15 to 10 to start, working up to 2-3 sets of 30. Early on, the exercises can be performed daily, since the muscle will typically be very easily fatigued and won't be able to tolerate much in terms of resistanc level or repetitions.

The exercises may be performed in standing, seated or prone (more advanced) using bands or weights. Keep them slow and controlled, especially on the eccentric part. Watch yourself in a mirror and make sure that you aren't getting the movement started by lifting your shoulders towards your ears--the motion has to be initiated by squeezing the shoulder blades back and down while lifting the arm.

Let me know if this isn't clear. Sometimes written descriptions without demos or pictures are a little difficult to understand.
Maribeth
 
Website with Demos???

Maribeth, thank you for your post!

Now...can you direct us to a website that has a demo on how to do this...pretty please??? :)

Thanks!!!

Blessings from Our Home to Yours, Runathon
 
Have you heard of Bonnie Prudden?

Maribeth,
I was wondering if you've ever heard of Bonnie Prudden and her myotherapy? I met her over the weekend and she showed me some "exercises" for my rotator cuff or shoulder area. It seems to be similar to what you have described. She had me extend my arm, palm down and rotate my palm as far as I could towards the ceiling, all the while, allowing my shoulder to come naturally forward during the movement. It has worked wonders. I can actually move without that searing pain that sometimes catches me off guard. I think she has a website too.
Amy
 
Hi everyone,
I usually lurk, but since I sometimes have shoulder twinges, this thread really interested me. I did a google search on "scapation exercises" and found some links that demonstrate the exercises:

The first two are videos of the exercise with weight plates.
[link:138.9.1.58/athleticperformance/exercise%20videos/shoulder%20prehab%20videos/scaption%20thumbs%20down.mpg|Thumbs Down]
[link:138.9.1.58/athleticperformance/exercise%20videos/shoulder%20prehab%20videos/scaption%20thumbs%20up.mpg|Thumbs Up]

This one uses a band under the foot:
[link:www.orthopedic-sportsmed.com/clips/Dzl8333.mpg|Band movie]

Another band option, as well as a useful overhead diagram of where the arm should be in relation to the body. Also highlights the different range of motion between thumbs up and thumbs down exercises:
[link:www.fckw.org/html/exercise.htm|Band Diagram]


I also noticed in [link:www.thera-bandacademy.com/II__Research/ii-a-1-b-2.html|this article] that the serratus anterior muscle can also be important in preventing impingement problems, and the best exercises for it are the "push up plus" and a "dynamic hug". If anyone knows what the "plus" is or how exactly to do a "dynamic hug", please chime in.

Hope this helps and thanks for all the info!
 
RE: Website with Demos???

I don't have a site that demonstrates--and the family doctor.org aren't supraspinatus exercises either.

Let's see if I can describe them a bit better. Position yourself as if you were going to do a lateral raise. Now, instead of lifting your arms straight out to the side, lift at an angle that is about halfway between where your arm would be for a lateral raise and a front raise.

Now that you have the plane in which you will be lifting, do one set with your arm so that the thumb is pointing down instead of the palm. Then the next set, do it so that the thumb is pointing up.

Is this a better description?
Maribeth
 
RE: Website with Demos???

Maribeth:

thank you, this description is very clear. I'll get right to it!

Thanks

Clare
 
I spent several weeks in physical therapy for shoulder pain 2 years ago & was given exercises for my supraspinatus. I think what Maribeth describes is just one of the ones I was given. So,I did a search on supraspinatus exercises and found these links. I couldn't get the links Bluna posted to work. I have quicktime, they just didn't work. So, here's a link that looks like what I think Maribeth is discribing.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Supraspinatus/DBFrontLateralRaise.html


This link is just a picture of thumbs up & thumbs down.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Supraspinatus/DBFrontLateralRaise.html

Hope the one with animation works for you.
 
RE: Have you heard of Bonnie Prudden?

Amy,
I read Bonnie Prudden's works years ago. The exercise you describe isn't the same as the supraspinatus scaption exercises.

The primary action of the supraspinatus isn't rotation at all. It works in shoulder abduction, particularly through the first 30-45 degrees of range of motion. This is why rotation exercises--Bonnie's exercises that you mentioned are rotations--won't work for the supraspinatus.

I'm glad you got relief by using her exercises, but they won't address supraspinatus weakness nor the altered joint mechanics that goes along with it.
Maribeth
 
The animation works--and this is the exercise. Two comments about the exercise on the site--1. The form is not good--notice how he's hiking his shoulder up towards his ear when it should be staying level; and 2. The instructions tell you to lift to shoulder height when they should say to limit the range of motion to that which is pain-free or to just below shoulder height.

Also remember to keep the weight no more than 5 pounds max--usually more like 2-3 pounds--otherwise the deltoid takes over the work.
 
Push ups plus are push ups that when you reach the end of range of motion for the glenohumeral joint, you then push your shoulder blades forward to move a few inches more.

While the serratus is important, I see far fewer people clinically with serratus problems than I see with supraspinatus and middle and lower trapezius and rhomboid weakness.
Maribeth
 
Thank you so much everyone! This has been so helpful to me and just what I needed. What would I do without this forum? :)
 
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