5 Exercises to Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff
Rotator cuff injuries can cause intense, nagging pain in and around your shoulder. Experiencing an injury to your rotator cuff can limit you from exercising, playing your favorite sport, or even something as simple as brushing your hair or getting a good night’s sleep!
Common symptoms you can experience when dealing with rotator cuff injuries include:
- Decreased shoulder range of motion
- Weakness when lifting your arm up or rotating it
- Trouble sleeping when lying on your injury side
- Pain that is reoccuring with specific arm movements
Your rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles that surround your shoulder joint. The rotator cuff helps you LIFT and ROTATE your arm, all the while providing it with STABILITY.
The 4 rotator cuff muscles are:
- Supraspinatus
- Infraspinatus
- Teres minor
- Subscapularis
Common injuries to the rotator cuff include:
- Rotator cuff tears
- Tendonitis
- Bursitis
- Impingement
Rehabilitation following rotator cuff injury focuses on the following:
- Regaining your shoulder range of motion
- Building strength in your 4 rotator cuff muscles
- Improve coordination and stability of the shoulder joint
- Re-Injury Prevention
Shane’s Story
Shane, a 23 year old varsity softball player was the leading pitcher in the league until intense shoulder pain brought him to physiotherapy for rotator cuff rehabilitation. He struggled to even put his baseball cap on. Ice and pills weren’t helping. Within a few weeks of following this treatment plan he was back doing what he loves, pain free and asking, “Can you work the same magic on my throw?”
You could go with a passive wait and see approach, but studies show that daily progressive exercises result in superior outcomes regarding pain relief. And really, don’t you want to get rid of your pain and get on with living life to its fullest? Let’s get you started on your road to pain relief.
5 Exercises to Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff
1. External Rotation With Arm Abducted to 90
Use an elastic resistance band of comfortable resistance. If you have access to gym equipment, you can also do this exercise on a cable machine.
- Tie one end of your band around a door knob, railing, or stable surface.
- While facing the band, hold it with your arm raised out beside you at shoulder height, with your elbow bent to 90 degrees with the palm of your hand facing the ground.
- Without moving your elbow, slowly raise your hand until it is in line with your head.
- Slowly lower your hand back down to the starting position and repeat.
This exercise works your infraspinatus and teres minor muscles. You should feel this at the back of your shoulder and into your upper back.
Complete 12 reps of this exercise, 3 times. Give yourself a 30 second break in between each set.
2. Internal Rotation
Use the same band set up as the previous exercise, or a cable with the handle set to elbow height.
- Stand so that the band is on your left or right. With your hand that’s closest to the band, hold the band while keeping your arm at your side, elbow bent to 90 degrees, and your hand facing inward.
- Keeping your elbow tucked in and wrist straight, rotate your hand in towards your body as far your range of motion allows
- Slowly move your hand back to the starting position and repeat.
This exercise works your pectoralis muscles and your subscapularis. You should feel this in your shoulder and the front of your chest.
Complete 12 reps of this exercise, 3 times. Give yourself a 30 second break in between each set.
3. Eccentric Lateral Raise
You will need a resistance band for this exercise.
- Hold both ends of the resistance band
- Raise one arm out to to the side, hold your opposite hand down by your waist
- Slowly lower your arm back down to your side and repeat.
This exercise works your supraspinatus muscle, as well as your deltoids. You should feel this exercise in your shoulders.
Complete 10 reps of this exercise, 3 times. Give yourself a 30 second break in between each set.
4. Single Arm Row
For this exercise you will need a resistance band.
- Tie one end of your band around a door knob, railing, or stable surface so that it is around mid torso height
- Hold onto the band with one hand and slowly pull your elbow back until your hand is in line with the top of your hip. Think about pulling with your elbow (not your hand!)
- Slowly return to the starting position and repeat
This works your middle and lower trapezius muscles. They are not part of your rotator cuff but are very important when it comes to controlling how the shoulder moves!
Complete 10 reps of this exercise, 3 times. Give yourself a 30 second break in between each set.
5. Wall Slides
Tie a resistance band in a loop so that it is a little shorter than shoulder width.
- Place both your hands in the loop and position the band so that it is stretched across both forearms
- Stand facing the wall, with your elbows at 90 degrees and forearms placed on the wall
- Slowly slide your forearms up and down the wall. Be sure to keep tension in the band throughout the movement.
Complete 10 circles on each side, 3 times. Give yourself a 30 second break in between each set.
How much and how often should I do these rotator cuff exercises?
I recommend 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions in a slow and controlled manner, 3x/week.
It is best to allow 24 to 48 hours of rest in between sessions to maximize your recovery.
While the pain may be intense now, doing these 5 simple exercises will have
you back in action and pain free. The best part is that these exercises can be completed from the comfort of your own home with only a few minutes each week and limited expense.
Although we stand by these exercises as a great way to strengthen your rotator cuff, if you believe you have a rotator cuff injury, I recommend booking an appointment with a physiotherapist or chiropractor where they can complete a full assessment of your shoulder and create an individualized treatment plan for you.
Contact us to book an appointment today!
This blog was written by Emily Karageorgos, a Physiotherapy student at the University of Toronto
FAQ
How long does it take to heal a rotator cuff injury?
While a recent, mild rotator cuff injury might need a few weeks to heal, a severely
irritated rotator cuff can take up to months. The healing timeline is very dependent on the type of injury, the individual, as well as the effectiveness of their rehabilitation plan.
How long will it take to strengthen my rotator cuff?
Strength adaptations can occur in as little as 3-6 weeks. However, this is dependent on the individual, as well as the frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise. Long term adaptations in strength and muscle size can take up to 12 weeks.
How heavy of a weight or resistance band should I use?
Rotator cuff exercises can sometimes feel too easy – but believe it or not, if you are doing them properly they should be difficult even with the lightest weights! Your rotator cuff muscles are very small, and if you are activating them properly you likely will only need to use a light 2-5lb weight or light-medium resistance band. If the exercises feel too easy it is likely that you are recruiting the larger muscles around your shoulder and back to compensate. Check in with your form before increasing the resistance!
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