Photo by GMB Fitness on Unsplash
By Arnold Askew, GCFPCM
The shoulder is a wonderfully designed joint that allows us to have almost unlimited range of mobility of the upper arm. The upper arm or humerus has a ball at the end that fits in the socket of the scapula. It reflects the similar type of ball and socket of the upper leg in the hip. Unfortunately, the shoulder is prone to a large variety of insults and injuries. One of these and probably the most common are strains and tears to the rotator cuff. This cuff consists of four small muscles that help hold the upper arm snugly in its socket. They assist the larger muscles in certain movements by maintaining a healthy joint position. When one of these muscles is compromised it destabilizes the joint causing limited mobility, weakness and a great deal of pain. Injuries can range from a slight strain taking a few days to recover to a complete tear which can take six months to a year.
Treatment and recovery, of course, depend on many things; the severity of the injury, the type of treatment, how healthy the person is, and a myriad of unknowns. Serious injuries often require medical attention to patch things back up. Healing from this emergency phase and medical intervention is the first necessary step. This is the time for keeping things relatively still, protecting the area as it begins to heal. Once the wound(s) begin to knit back together it’s time to start the rehab phase. Rehab might conjure aggressive and painful images, but on the contrary it should be very gentle and small, especially in the beginning. Rehab is about starting where you are and finding ways to improve that don’t set you back in the process.
