Rotator Cuff Muscles – What Causes Shoulder Pain?

March 7, 2009 by Tim
Filed under: lose love handles

One of the most common causes of shoulder pain is an injury to the rotator cuff muscles. These are a small but important group of muscles that surround the shoulder joint helping to stabilise it and also helping with rotational movement of the shoulder.

So why are the rotator cuff muscles so susceptible to damage and what can we do about it?

There are four muscles within the rotator cuff; The Supraspinatus muscle which is responsible for raising the arm and lifting it away from the body, the Subscapularis muscle which is on the underside of the shoulder blade and helps with internal rotation of the arm, The Infraspinatus which also helps with lifting the arm but mainly comes into play during external rotation and the Teres Minor which helps with external rotation. All four muscles start at some point on the shoulder blade and attach to the upper arm bone.

So within the rotator cuff muscles there are three muscles that help with external rotation and abduction and these are the muscles which are at most risk of injury.

Rotator cuff injuries come about because of a power mis-match between muscles that turn the arm outwards (external rotation) and muscles that turn the arm inwards (internal rotation)

There are really only four muscles that deal with external rotation of the shoulder, three of the rotator cuff muscles and the posterior deltoid muscles. There are a lot more muscles that deal with internal rotation and they tend to be larger more powerful muscles such as the Pectoral muscles, the Latissimus Dorsi, Teres Major and the Subscapularis muscles

Also because we tend to internally rotate our shoulders a lot more in everyday movement the internal rotator muscles grow stronger and the external rotator muscles gradually get weaker so that as we age our cuff muscles become more prone to injuries like shoulder tendonitis, shoulder impingements and rotator cuff tears.

The vast majority of injuries to the rotator cuff muscles are to the Supraspinatus muscle. What makes this muscle so susceptible to injury is that the tendons of the Supraspinatus run through a channel of bone at the top of the shoulder blade. When this tendon becomes damaged it can become inflamed but because of the restriction caused by the bone it gets pinched or impinged against the bone causing a shoulder impingement.

To prevent this if it hasn’t yet happened or cure it if you already have a shoulder injury, you need to exercise the muscles of the rotator cuff to strengthen them These exercises will need to be low weight; low resistance exercises designed to isolate and exercise the rotator cuff muscles.

If you have any type of shoulder injury it is vital that you rest the joint properly and treat any inflammation before starting any type of exercise. It is also important to seek professional advice with any shoulder pain that continues for more than a few days or worsens with use.

If you found this article useful or just plain interesting and would like more information on how to rehabilitate your rotator cuff muscles visit

http://myrotatorcuffcure.blogspot.com

My name is Nick Bryant and I am an older dad to two young children aged seven and five. I am keen on staying fit and active so that I can enjoy an active life with my children as they grow. Having suffered a shoulder injury that put me out of action for several painful months, I was keen to share my experience and let others know how I managed a full recovery without surgery despite being told that it was necessary.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Bryant

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