Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Tips for Shoulder Pain (Rotator Cuff)

     Here are a few tips for those suffering from shoulder pain or rotatator cuff syndrome.  Shoulder pain is quite common and when you look at the anatomy of the shoulder it is pretty easy to see why.   The design of the shoulder predisposes it to injury with overhead activities.  Many shoulder problems begin with either repetitive overhead activities such as painting, cutting hair, assisting dentists, lifting weights, putting on makeup, pitching a baseball, cutting limbs from a tree, or swimming.  Of course the list could go on and on, but you see what I am talking about. 

     So the first tip is to avoid overhead activities as much as possible and when raising your arms, try not raise them above shoulder level.  We treat a lot of people who lift weights and workout on a regular basis, and the first thing I tell them when they come in with shoulder problems is that I will not take them as a patient if they continue to do military press and incline press.  They usually don't like to hear that, but the fact of the matter is that they will not get better if they continue to do those exercises.  I learned the hard way when I strained the rotator cuff in my left shoulder back in college doing incline press with a straight bar.  Once their shoulder is healed, I will then show them what I call a modified military press that they can do without aggravating the rotator cuff.

     The second tip is to use ice packs over the shoulder if there is significant pain or swelling.  Never use heat when there is swelling.  That's why you always see professional baseball pitchers with big ice packs on their shoulders in the dugout after pitching, to keep the swelling down.

     The third tip is that if it is not getting better to get it properly evaluated.  Just getting diagnosed with Rotator Cuff Syndrome doesn't really give you the full picture of what is truly going on.  Every condition can be different and after thoroughly evaluating the shoulder we can then give personalized care and instructions.

     Stay Healthy!

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