The Rotator Cuff- Shoulder Pain

What is Rotator Cuff (RC) Tendinopathy?

• Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy is one of the most common injuries to the shoulder. The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles that surround the shoulder joint. The muscles are the Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and the Subscapularis.

• It refers to pain and weakness of the shoulder, usually caused by certain repetitive movements. The cause and etiology are often multi-factorial which is why it may require attention and assessment from a therapist in order to assess and find the best intervention for faster recovery.
  

  Risk Factors

• The likelihood of developing RC Tendinopathy can increase due to awkward/poor postures, heavy and sudden change in workload, repetitive arm movements and lack of rest.

• There are also other physiological risk factors that make people more susceptible to RC tendinopathy such as metabolic disorders, muscle imbalance and advancing age. 

  
  Presentation:

• Usually, RC tendinopathy will present with many different symptoms, however the most common would include pain with overhead movements, reaching behind your back and/or raising your arm out to the side. 
  
  One of the most successful ways to treat this is with physiotherapy and exercise! Here are 2 exercises that can help improve pain and improve your range of motion.Isometric shoulder exercises: these are a quick and easy way to start loading your tendon and help reduce some pain in the shoulder. You can start with standing next to a door frame and pressing and holding for 15-20 seconds, doing this for 3-5 reps, 3x/day. 

1. Side lying external rotation ROM exercises
   - To start getting back range of motion (ROM), you can start to work in side lying and work against gravity. 3 sets of 10 reps 1x a day. 

All exercises should be pain free, however if pain persists for more than a week, discontinue the exercise and check in with a physiotherapist or other medical professional. 

Stephen is a highly skilled physiotherapist who is booking assessments on Mondays and Thursdays at Leaside Sports Medicine.