The rotator cuff

The rotator cuff consists of four muscles that lie around the shoulder joint and secure and center it. If one or more of these muscles are damaged, this leads to significant instability of the shoulder joint and shoulder pain. A lesion can be caused by an accident, but also by slowly progressing signs of wear.

A tear in a muscle of the rotator cuff can be treated surgically, but can also be treated with physiotherapy. This option is preferred especially for damage caused by wear and tear. In physiotherapy, the main aim is to improve the muscular support and guidance of the joint in order to restore the lack of stability.

In principle, all the exercises described for impingement syndrome and acromioclavicular joint arthrosis can be performed here. Starting position: forearm support, the feet and forearms touch the floor, the buttocks are in the air and the highest point of the body Execution: the center of gravity is now shifted forward, the buttocks are lowered and the upper body moves further forward towards the forearms then the center of gravity is shifted backward again, the buttocks move up and the upper body moves backward again this exercise is performed in constant rotation, approx. 15 repetitions

Starting position: forearm support, the feet and forearms touch the floor, the buttocks are in the air and the highest point of the body
Execution: the body’s center of gravity is now shifted to the front, the buttocks are lowered and the upper body moves further forward towards the forearms
Then the body’s center of gravity is shifted to the rear again, the buttocks move upwards and the upper body moves back again
This exercise is performed in constant change, about 15 repetitions

do not perform on fresh lesions, only about 4-6 weeks later with slow increase! Starting position: Stand, elbows angled 90 degrees, upper arms remain on the body a towel (or similar) is held tautly between both hands Execution: pull with both hands simultaneously as if you wanted to move your forearm outwards, upper arms remain on the body hold the exercise for about 10 seconds, then take a break and repeat this 3 times Alternative: If you own a Theraband, you can also perform the exercise with it.Thereby the forearms really move outwards like a horizontal windshield wiper

Do not perform on fresh lesions, only about 4-6 weeks later with slow increase!
Starting position: Stand, elbows are angled 90 degrees, upper arms remain on the body
A towel (or similar) is held taut between both hands
Execution: pull with both hands at the same time, as if you wanted to move your forearm outwards, while keeping your upper arms close to your body
Hold the exercise for about 10 seconds, then take a break and repeat this 3 times
Alternative: If you own a Theraband, you can also do the exercise with it. The forearms really move outwards like a horizontal windshield wiper