People who have injured their rotator cuff in Jacksonville, North Carolina, may be wondering how to treat their injury. Fortunately, physical therapists here in town offer many treatment options that can help you, and one of these options is therapeutic exercises. Here are two exercises that are commonly used in rotator cuff physical therapy:
1. Towel stretch
One component of rotator cuff physical therapy is stretching exercises. These exercises are important because tight shoulder muscles can take longer to heal, and they can also cause you more pain as your rotator cuff heals. For these and other reasons, physical therapists will show you several types of stretching exercises for the shoulder, and an example of such an exercise is the towel stretch.
As the name implies, you’ll need a towel to perform this stretching exercise, and a dish or hand towel is the best option for this stretch. Once you have your towel, place your hands behind your back, and grasp one end on the towel in each hand. The towel should be held so that it is horizontal, and this should also place both your hands at about the same height. To stretch your right shoulder, slowly pull on the towel with your left hand until you feel a stretch. Hold this stretch for 10 to 20 seconds, and then relax the pressure on the towel. Repeat these steps to stretch the left shoulder, and try to repeat the stretch between 10 and 20 times every day.
2. Outward rotation
Another type of therapeutic exercise common in rotator cuff physical therapy is strengthening exercises. The goal of these exercises is to improve the strength of the rotator cuff muscles, and they can also help improve blood flow to the shoulder. For people with rotator cuff injuries, the outward rotation exercise is a perfect example of the strengthening exercises you could be asked to do.
Performing the outward rotation exercise will require the use of an exercise band. In many cases, your therapist can supply you with this band, but you can also get one online. To start the exercise, take hold of one end of the exercise band in each hand, and move your arms so that your elbows are close to your sides. With the exercise band in front of you, raise your forearms until your elbows form a 90-degree angle. Then, slowly move your forearms 2 to 3 inches further apart, and hold for about five seconds. Return to the start position, and then repeat the forearm movement until you’ve completed 10 to 15 reps.
Come find out how rotator cuff physical therapy at Peak Performance in Jacksonville, NC, can help you
Our Peak Performance clinic in Jacksonville can help you treat many injuries, and this includes rotator cuff injuries. We offer free screenings to help you learn how your rotator cuff has been injured, and we can create personalized plans for your injury that can include therapy methods like:
- Therapeutic exercise
- Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)
- Electrical stimulation
- Anodyne® therapy
Are you ready to get our team’s help with your rotator cuff injury? Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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