As we talked about in a previous post, the shoulder joint is an inherently unstable joint. The ball must always rest in the middle of the socket for everything to move correctly without getting pinched or injured. The Rotator Cuff is considered a humeral head depressor, or it pulls the ball down in the socket. This action counteracts other muscles pulling the ball up in the socket. Again, everything working together keeps the ball centered in the socket when you move your shoulder. Any change in these biomechanics will result in loss of range of motion or instability of the shoulder.
One of the main muscles that acts opposite to the Rotator Cuff is the Deltoid. The Deltoid is considered a humeral head elevator meaning it raises the ball up in the socket as we move our shoulders. Rarely should you strengthen your Deltoid if you have a Rotator Cuff injury as this would lead to a greater imbalance in the shoulder's biomechanics. Below are two excellent exercises for correcting the biomechanics of the Rotator Cuff.
Sidelying External Rotation: Sidelying Internal Rotation:
Lying on you side with your elbow Lying on your side with your forearm
resting on your side, rotate your forearm pointing straight up and your upper arm
up from across your stomach towards the at a 90 degree angle to your body, press
ceiling. Keep your elbow resting against your forearm down toward the floor.
your side when rotating your arm. Hold this position for 20 seconds and
Repeat this exercise 20-30 times. and repeat it 5 times.
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