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If You Have A Rotator Cuff Injury – Don't Panic,The Remedy Is Often Easier Than You Might Think

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

Shoulder problems come in all shapes and sizes. It is probably the most complicated joint that we have and is one of the easiest to start having problems with and one of the most frequent shoulder problems is a rotator cuff injury. Around thirty percent of us will suffer from a problem with small but vital group of muscles at some point .

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that help to hold the joint in place by helping to pull the rounded head of the humerus or upper arm into the socket of the shoulder formed by the end of the shoulder blade. These muscles run over and around the shoulder joint forming a cuff of muscle, hence the name. Without these muscles it would be extremely easy to dislocate your shoulder as the ball and socket joint is a very shallow joint to allow the wide range of movement that we have and enjoy.

If you injure the rotator cuff you can start to suffer from a wide range of symptoms. These include difficulty sleeping caused by pain when you lie down, pain when you lift your arm above shoulder height or to the side. You can also experience discomfort whenever you reach behind you, tucking in blouse or shirt can be almost impossible and if left untreated the symptoms simply get worse until the arm becomes too painful to use.

So how do you get this type of injury in the first place? It might be a fall or knock that causes trauma to these muscles. Lifting something that is too heavy can tear these muscles or a repetitive movement can gradually cause wear to the muscle. This condition is known as pitcher's shoulder because baseball pitchers often have rotator cuff problems from the constant overhead throwing action. If you are in your fifties you have a pretty good chance of being in the group of people who suffer with shoulder pain simply through wear and tear.

As we (age we change the way we stand and move and these changes in posture can result in problems with one or both of our shoulder joints. One of the muscles of the rotator cuff runs through a channel of bone at the top of the shoulder . This muscle can start to rub against the bone either because it has been injured and become inflamed or simply because we hold ourselves a bit differently as time goes by. The swelling can cause a shoulder impingement where the muscle is literally getting pinched and damaged by the bone. Ignore this at your peril because a shoulder impingement can become a partial or complete tear of the muscle if ignored. The latter will certainly require surgery.

The good news is that the vast majority of rotator cuff injuries can be fixed with rest and exercise. Rest first!

Sounds easy but you quickly|soon begin to} realise just how often you use your shoulder, so the most sensible advice is to avoid any movement that causes discomfort. The pain in a rotator cuff injury is an indication that damage is being done. Try anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen to bring down any swelling. Do not try to work through this type of injury as you can end up turning a fairly simple problem into a major injury that will need corrective surgery.

Once the inflammation and pain have subsided you can start gentle exercise aimed at building up muscle, gradually building up the frequency and amount of exercise until the shoulder is back to full, pain free, movement. Exercise for this sort of injury does not involve large weights or high resistance as that will tend to make you use the major muscles of the shoulder

Finally, don't stop the exercises when you are better. If you have suffered a shoulder injury once there is a pretty good chance of it happening again so, on the basis that prevention is better than cure, keep your shoulders in shape as you gracefully age and keep up the exercises.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: If you found this article interesting check out my full story at 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 fully recovered with just exercise. Check out my story at www..myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com