Why is physical therapy after a rotator cuff injury needed? Of course the answer is to help the recovery of tissues affected. Rotator cuff injury is a condition in which the muscle or the tendon strains. Rotator Cuff Injury can be caused by the muscle suddenly got overweight to withstand, it can also be caused by accidents during sports (often happens to athletes). When someone has just suffered this injury, the first thing that is recommended as first aid by Jannenga is rest, ice compress, and elevate the injured part higher.
Does exercise in this condition is a safe thing to do? People might think when someone having problems with muscles or tendons it should be rested. Basically, this thought is not entirely true, but not entirely wrong. If people do physical therapy after a rotator cuff injury at the right portion then it will help them to recover their injury. But if they do this exercise too much then it will slow down their recovery or worsen the injury. Another indication used is how severe the injuries suffered. Because of this, one needs to be careful when doing physical therapy after a rotator cuff injury.
According to American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, physical therapy after a rotator cuff injury generally divided into two forms which are stretching exercise and strengthening exercise. Stretching is simply the act of extending the full length of the body structure or just part of it. While strengthening aims to strengthen the muscle tissue to prevent further injury. Both became essential for restoring damaged tissue which suffered rotator cuff injury.
The following are some simple exercise that can be done as physical therapy after a rotator cuff injury (source AAOS):
Stretching Exercise
1. Lean forward and then put one hand on a thing that can support your body (can be a table, a chair, or any other object that has a high around waist). Let the other hand remained to hang. Then move it gently back and forth, side to side, and circular. Do the actions several times one by one. Do the same thing with the other hand.
2. Then do the cross arm stretch. Put one hand on the chest, then use the other hand to hold and pull gently for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds. Do the same thing with the other.
3. hold a light stick behind your back with one hand and the other hand holding the end of the stick. Pull horizontally (the hand holding the tip being pulled off) the stick until you feel the stretch on the shoulder. Do it gently for 30 seconds and relax it for 30 seconds. Do the same thing with the other hand.
4. After that, hold both ends of the stick in front of you (horizontally) with your elbows form a 90-degree angle. Then gently push horizontally and hold for 30 seconds. Then do it again with the other hand.
5. The last stretching, lie on the flat floor or mattress with the injured arm in below with the position of the hand bent upwards. Then use your other hand to push it down gently and stop when the shoulder muscles feel stretched. Maintain that position for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.
Strengthening Exercise
1. Find elastic stretch bands and tied to a stable object about waist level. Hold the elastic band with the elbows form a 90-degree angle forward and your elbows close to the body. Afterward, pull gently back then back to the starting position slowly.
2. The second step, change the position of the elbow at an angle of 90 degrees forward and the arm sideward equal with the shoulder. Then pull up gently with the elbow position stand still. Pull gently until the hand pointing upwards parallels to the head. And then return to the starting position slowly.
3. The third step, keep your hands as in step 1. But this time, you are in the position next to the elastic band. Then gently pull it horizontally (when using the right hand pull left).
4. Still in the same position, but this time if you use your left hand, pull it out towards the left.
Based on the advice given by the AAOS there are still some steps that utilize a dumbbell (sort of it) but not described in this article. We need to note that this physical therapy after a rotator cuff injury should not cause pain when performed. If you feel pain when doing any of this exercise, you should stop and consult your doctor. In fact, minor injuries can recover by doing physical therapy after a rotator cuff injury, but major injuries will be more complex to recover. If you feel pain/deep ache, swelling, or hard to move your arms, you should contact your doctor because there is a possibility the injuries was severe.
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