Praise for rotator cuff exercises

[WildVolley]

I've started doing rotator cuff exercises, especially external rotation three times a week and it is paying off. It seems to have stabilized my shoulder and I can serve hard again without feeling any pain. I'm using 10lbs for about 15 reps in external rotation while lying on my side and with my arm raised up and propped on my knee at 90 degrees.

Are there any other shoulder exercises that people do to protect the shoulder during hitting?

 

[troy9828]

stretch band exercises are very effective for the rotator cuff. i recently had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder and i have really help build the muscle back up using stretch bands daily and properly.

 

[Gmedlo]

Use a stretch band to warm up the rotator cuff before playing. It's especially useful for tournament/league matches where the officials are skimpy on time and you often don't get as many serves as you would like; you still might not serve as well as you could with more time but at least you won't injure yourself!

 

[snoopy]

I too recently seemed to solve my shoulder pain.

Shoulder stretching did the trick. I take a towel, hold my hands at each end and then in one motion pull it behind my head. I don't know if it broke up scar tissue or something else, but my shoulder feels almost 100% as log as I stretch a few times a week.

I think it's somewhere in this article:

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_...ing_performance_repair/shoulder_savers_part_i


I'm not sure if it's good for tennis but it worked for me.

 

[WildVolley]

I too recently seemed to solve my shoulder pain.

Shoulder stretching did the trick. I take a towel, hold my hands at each end and then in one motion pull it behind my head. I don't know if it broke up scar tissue or something else, but my shoulder feels almost 100% as log as I stretch a few times a week.

I think it's somewhere in this article:

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_...ing_performance_repair/shoulder_savers_part_i


I'm not sure if it's good for tennis but it worked for me.

Thanks for the advice Snoopy. I'm going to try most of those exercises and see if they help.

Gmedlo, I notice that Nadal always warms up his rotator cuff with bands before he hits. Do you know where these bands can be inexpensively purchased?

 

[mike53]

Do you know where these bands can be inexpensively purchased?

http://www.fwonline.com/

Get yourself a 1kg soft weight and hold it in your hand while you make ever increasing circles with you arm. Both directions, both arms. This is warm up stage 1 before the band warm up. You can carry the band and the weight in your bag

 

[charliefedererer]

Praise for rotator cuff exercises

It's amazing that there is so much emphasis on lifting for power in throwing/hitting sports, and not enough emphasis on prevention of injury basics that should form the cornerstone of any fitness regime.
mike53 recently posted the following set of 10 "throwers" exercises that largely emphasizes the stabilizing muscles that can help prevent shoulder, forearm and wrist injuries, and help prevent tennis elbow:
http://www.asmi.org/SportsMed/media/thrower10.swf

 

[Gmedlo]

Thanks for the advice Snoopy. I'm going to try most of those exercises and see if they help.

Gmedlo, I notice that Nadal always warms up his rotator cuff with bands before he hits. Do you know where these bands can be inexpensively purchased?

Search for "theraband" on amazon, I think they run $5-$10. I haven't been able to find a local retailer that sells them though. Surgical tubing works just as well.

 

[plasma]

I used to see a man in the park, right by the museum...he would just do one exercise everyday, wave his hands and forearms while the triceps were tight to the body.
I thought he was nuts. Whether he was a magical SHaolin rotator master or nuts I have experimented with this motion since. It's either insanity or a really good rotator cuff exercise rubbing off on me....or both...????

 

[snoopy]

I looked at the link I posted and realized the exercise I did actually wasn't listed there.

Band dislocates are what helped me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEEEuSb0i40

I read that you should only do them going front to back.

Again, I'm not sure if this is good for a tennis player's shoulder.

 

[martyr2]

Beginning shoulder exercises tomorrow

Am starting my prescribed exercises tomorrow after cortisone shot on Monday....have no shoulder pain, just some stiffness and need to know if the sense I have gotten from reading this and other sites is correct.....

Part of the benefit of these exercises it to loosen/break up, etc. any scar tissue or calcium deposits, etc? Is that correct?

I ask because I have slight cracking sounds during occasional movements and am assuming that in the absence of pain or severe stiffness during exercise, I can work through some of this discomfort as I exercise...

Am I correct? I realize that pain would be a sign to stop exercising, but how much discomfort is normal and part of what the exercise is designed to get rid of in addition to stengthening the muscles?

 

[plasma]

I healed my damaged shoulders through soft slow exercises, very gentle easy motion, took me long time to learn...

 

[RoddickRook]

I know all about this. Exercises and prolotherapy did the trick for my rotator cuff tear.

Just a few:

http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do?id=459577
for major strengthening

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/shoulder/rotatorcuff.htm

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/265.html

http://www.aafp.org/afp/980215ap/980215a.html

 

[GuyClinch]

That's a very good shoulder article IMHO. I been working with a very expensive top notch trainer and he has me doing alot of what that Cressey guy is talking about.