Rotator-Cuff Muscle Physical Therapy

The rotator cuff is a small group of muscles and tendons that allow the shoulder joint to rotate the upper arm. The rotator cuff is often neglected in fitness routines in favor of larger, stronger muscles, but it is essential for providing stability to the shoulder. Strengthening the rotator cuff and surrounding shoulder muscles is helpful for recovering from and preventing shoulder pain and soreness.

  1. Lying Rotator Lift

    • The most basic way to work the rotator cuff that doesn't require any special equipment is the side rotator lift. All you need to perform the lift is a flat surface to lie down on. To do the lift, lie on your side, plant the elbow of your top arm at your side, and rotate the forearm from your belly until it is parallel with the floor. Since the muscles of the rotator cuff are small and often underused, you will probably be able to completely fatigue them after 20 to 50 reps without using any weight. Every time you work the rotator cuff muscles, aim to work them with a high number of reps until fatigue forces you to stop. This will increase the endurance and tone of the muscles, which will help stabilize the shoulder without putting too much strain on it by attempting to lift too much weight. If you can do 50 or more reps without fatigue, hold a 1-lb. dumbbell, a water bottle or a jar in your hand for some extra resistance. It is a good idea to do the lift on both sides, even if you are rehabbing one arm specifically. If one arm got injured, chances are the other is also prone to being injured and could use the extra stability.

    Machine Rotator Exercise

    • If you regularly go to a gym with cable machines or have access to resistance bands, you can work out the rotator cuffs quickly and effectively without lying down. To use a cable machine or a band to exercise the rotator cuff, you will use the exact same motion as the lying-down rotator lift, except while standing with a different source of resistance. Set up the cable machine or resistance band to provide resistance at about belly level, grab the handle or band, and rotate the forearm from the belly until the fist is pointing straight ahead, with the elbow planted at the side. Situate yourself so that the cable or resistance band is pulling across your body to provide resistance as you rotate the forearm out.

      Since the rotator cuff muscles are small, start out with a very low weight on the cable machine, and use little tension with a resistance band. You should set the weight at a level where you can do 15 reps or more before failing from fatigue. If you are rehabbing a shoulder injury and need to build stability in the shoulder quickly, you can do rotator exercises every day, as the muscles can recover fairly quickly.