Rotator Cuff Strengthening Exercises - PatientPop

1 Active assisted range of motion with cane: Lying supine, hold the cane with both hands. Elevate the arms using the healthy arm to guide the injured arm. Increase the use of the injured arm as directed by comfort. Rotator Cuff Strengthening Exercises Posture Exercise: place hands on hips, lean back, and hold. Active training of scapula muscles: (Left) Shoulder shrugs: Pull the shoulders up and back, and hold. (Right) Pinch the back of the shoulder blades together using good posture. Active range of motion: In front of a mirror, practice raising your arm in front of your body without shrugging your shoulder. Posterior shoulder stretch: Bring injured arm across in front of the body. Hold the elbow with the other arm. Gently flex the bent arm, which will pull the other arm across the chest until a stretch is felt in the back of the shoulder. These exercises are based on evidence demonstrating a positive correlation between exercise and rotator cuff tendonitis relief. Range of motion and stretching exercises should be performed daily. Strengthening should be performed 3 times weekly. All exercises taken from the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (2009) Volume 18, p. 138-60.
2 Scaption: Hold the arm forward, thumb up or down, raise the arm. May add resistance. This exercise should be done only if there is no pain. Anterior shoulder stretch: Place hands at shoulder level on each side of a door or in a corner of a room. Lean forward into the door or corner and hold. Rows: Seated or standing, bend your elbows and pull the elastic cord back. Try to pinch your shoulder blades behind you. Chair press: While seated, press up on the chair, lifting the body off the chair. Try to keep the spine straight. A (Left) External rotation: Secure the elastic band at waist level. Hold the elbow at 90_, arm at the side. Pull the hand away from the body as shown. (Right) Internal rotation: Secure the elastic band at waist level. Hold the elbow at 90_, arm at the side. Pull the hand across the body as shown. OR B (Left), External rotation: Lie on side, involved side up. Arm at side, elbow bent, with or without weight. Move the hand up as shown. (Right) Internal rotation: Lie on involved side, elbow bent at 90, arm at side. With or without weight, pull hand inward across the body, as shown .
3 Upright row: Do one arm at a time. While standing, lean over a table and bend at the waist. Pull the hand weight back, pulling shoulder blade back. Low trapezius: Stand upright. Grasp elastic bands. Keep your elbows straight and pull. Try to reach behind you. Push-up plus: Do a push-up (either on your hands or forearms) and then really push to bring your spine to the ceiling. Press-up: Lie on back, elbow locked straight, weights in hands. Move your arm up toward the ceiling as far as Pendulums: Let the arm hang down. Make 20 small clockwise circles, then 20 counterclockwise circles. Make forward, backward, and side-to-side motions.