A Rotator Cuff Problem is More Common Than You Might Think

By: Nick Bryant Click author's name for more of his/her articles

This year in the USA around eight million people will visit their doctor complaining of shoulder problems. Just over half of them will be diagnosed as having a rotator cuff problem. I know it's no comfort to find that you are only one of many but at least it means that there is research going on about shoulder injuries.

It also means that there are a lot of resources and information available to help. Whatever you do, don't try to work through a shoulder injury. Unlike a lot of other muscular injuries, a lot of shoulder injuries will only get worse if you ignore them.

There are really only two or three major causes of shoulder injury. Aging leading to wear and tear, a repetitive movement, a direct injury such as a fall or knock to the shoulder or as in my case, trying to lift something that is too heavy.

You will experience pain, weakness and a loss of movement. A classic symptom of shoulder injuries is the inability to raise your arm above shoulder height ,to the side, front or behind your back. The amount of loss of movement is a good pointer to the amount of damage that you have suffered.

Most injuries in the shoulder involve muscles, tendons, cartilage or ligaments of the joint rather than the bones themselves. The shoulder contains seventeen different muscles any one of which can lead to shoulder problems. Because the majority of shoulder injuries involve soft tissue damage physical therapy features strongly in a lot of the treatments but it is important that you do exercises that are designed for your particular injury as the wrong exercises can cause more damage and you can end up with serious injuries.

The rotator cuff is a classic example of this. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that help hold the shoulder in place. They all connect the shoulder blade to the upper arm bone. They are small muscles but essential for a healthy shoulder joint. These muscles run under and over other muscles and one of them, the supraspinatus muscle, even runs under the collar bone. If you damage this muscle it can become inflamed,getting pinched under the collar bone. Continuing to use this muscle can cause a partial or complete tear of the muscle that will need surgery.

Most shoulder injury therapies will focus on RICE. Rest, ice, compression and elevation but will also often focus on strengthening the rotator cuff muscles to improve stability in the joint. Any exercise that works on this group of muscles will involve small weights and specific movements that do not stress the muscles. If you experience pain then you are doing it wrong.

The shoulder also suffers from a poor blood supply so anything you do to improve the blood supply will help with recovery. Heat and massage will both help to increase the blood supply and improve healing. You also need to keep your shoulder moving as much as possible without causing yourself pain.

See a doctor and find out what is wrong but also find out as much as you can about your shoulder and the best way to fix it. Remember knowledge is power!

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: If you found this article interesting check out my full story at www.myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com">www..myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com My name is Nick Bryant and I tore my rotator cuff lifting something that was too heavy. Despite being told that I would need surgery I have managed a full recovery with just exercise. Check out how www.myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com">here