Stretching the internal rotation of your shoulder without help can be a problem. Most people suggest using a towel, golf club or some other item to drape over your shoulder and grasp behind your back. Then, you lift gently with one arm while pulling the other arm upwards behind your back. This short video is a good demonstration of the “old” technique:

Internal Rotation: The New Approach = Multiple Stretches + Greater Versatility

After the responses that we received from sports medicine professionals during the American College of Sports Medicine conference and athletic trainers during the National Athletic Trainers Association annual convention, Scott and I realized that our current video doesn’t showcase the all the benefits of the Rotater. Specifically, you can:

• stretch internal rotation in many positions
• duplicate internal rotation exercises that normally require assistance
• control the degree of each stretch
• achieve a “true” passive stretch (your injured arm does not grasp anything, avoiding the introduction of unnecessary resistance)

Here is our newest video demonstrating the variety of ways the Rotater can be used to stretch internal rotation.

Which one would you prefer - the “old” towel or the new Rotater?

I found this video of a shoulder exercise that I have never seen before at BaseballStrengthBlog.com. (It looks like their mother site, BaseballStrength.com, is undergoing some changes and you must now register to assess their resources – but that seems like a small price to pay for what appears to be a very informative web site.)

This exercise is unconventional - but looks promising. According to Coach Dan, this exercise is helpful for:

• Shoulder Stabilization
• Shoulder Safety
• Explosive Shoulder Power

He uses a 2 kg (a little less than 1 lb. 4.4 lbs - thanks Coach Dan) ball about the size of a basketball – I’m not sure where you’d find the ball that he’s using in the video, but I’m pretty sure a basketball would work just fine.

Be sure to pay attention to what he says in the video – this exercise is not a finger-tip dribbling movement, but an explosive arm movement that is generated by the shoulder.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Frozen Shoulder – What’s the 411?

(photo courtesy of Joe Shlabotnik)

Lauran Neergaard an AP medical writer has written an article entitled “Early Care Helps Frozen Shoulder” in which she illustrates some of the mysteries surrounding frozen shoulder.

• Why doesn’t adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) affect the same shoulder twice?
• Why does frozen shoulder occur most often in women?
• Why does frozen shoulder sometimes migrate to the other shoulder?

Please note the title of Lauran’s article – Early Care Helps Frozen Shoulder. If you’re having shoulder issues and you fit the demographics outlined in the article and you don’t remember injuring your shoulder, then don’t waste any time - see your physician immediately.

Basic Shoulder Rehabilitation

Mednets has produced a basic, but thorough Patient Information Guide to Shoulder Rehabilitation with real pictures of shoulder rehab exercises (not drawings) and clear, understandable instructions that describe how the various exercises are to be performed.

It’s not flashy. It’s not high-tech. All of the exercises can be performed at home with items that you already have or can easily acquire.

What is a Rotator Cuff Injury?

Ask almost anyone this question and you’re likely to get a wide variety of vague answers. So what is a rotator cuff injury? Here is a very short (about 45 seconds) and very basic video animation that does a very good job of illustrating and explaining the injury. I must warn you that you will have to sit through a short commercial (about 30 seconds) at the beginning.

Shoulder Rehab for Baseball Pitchers

(photo courtesy of Glover Bryant Communications)

Kris Bensen, a starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, has written an article – Shoulder Rehab: A Shoulder Rehab Throwing Program For Baseball Pitchers. Kris describes a progressive throwing program designed to rehab a pitcher’s shoulder while rebuilding his arm strength.

Shoulder Strength and Stabilization

(photo courtesy of Cronfeld)

Mark Dilworth, a certified fitness trainer, former NCAA division I athlete and creator of My Fitness Hut Blog wrote an article entitled “Strengthen and Stabilize Your Shoulder Girdle”.

Mark explains three of the most common shoulder injuries (frozen shoulder, shoulder tendonitis and rotator cuff injury) and some of the steps that you can take during your training to avoid them.

The King of Lifts – The Bench Press

The bench press is the one lift that everyone knows. I don’t know why – it just is. I can remember when I was fourteen and someone asked me what my bench was. I think I could probably bench 100 lbs. then.

The small muscles of the rotator cuff will limit your max

I’m 46 now and have had shoulder reconstruction on one shoulder and I’ve torn my rotator cuff a couple of times on the other shoulder. As you approach middle-age, your joints, specifically the shoulders for upper body lifts, tend to be the limiting factors in determining how much you can bench. What can you do? (photo used courtesy of jason.lengstorf)

Unconventional rotator cuff exercises

I discovered “Back to Form” Fitness by Keith Scott today and have added this blog to my blogroll. You should check it out. Anyway, Keith has written an article for Men’s Fitness entitled “Press More Pounds” that everyone who works out with weights should read.

He describes how to use a small medicine ball to warm up and activate your rotater cuff muscles prior to hitting the bench. Give his program a try and then amaze your friends.

I expect to have my bench press max up to 135 lbs. any day now.

Urban rotator cuff exercises

On a lighter note, I found the following video showing “urban rotator cuff” exercises on Straight to the Bar. I’m not really sure of the advantages of doing this type of rotator cuff exercise when you can accomplish the same movement using a very light weight ( ten pounds – max ) or a milk jug filled with water. Take a look anyway – it’s an ingenious though somewhat dangerous movement in my humble opinion.

Here’s a video showing a variety of simple but effective shoulder exercises that you can do in the comfort of your home – plus I like the funky soundtrack.

Thanks to stumptous.com for creating this video.

(photo by soldiersmediacenter)

The basic question of the study was:

Is there any advantage to surgically repairing an initial dislocated shoulder on a young, athletic person vs. allowing the injured shoulder to heal in a more conservative, non-surgical fashion?

The conclusion:

Yes, for the group who participated in the study, there were both short– and long-term advantages to having their dislocated shoulders surgically repaired instead of taking the more conservative approach. 

How easy is it to dislocate your shoulder?

As I was doing my initial research into dislocated shoulders, I began to wonder – How easy is it to dislocate your shoulder?  I suffered a separated shoulder (which is a different injury) during a fall while skiing.  What about others?

Bodybuilder dislocates shoulder while closing car trunk

Stew Smith wrote an article entitled “Taking Care of Your Shoulders” in which an avid weight-lifter and bodybuilder wrote in and described how he had dislocated his shoulder while closing the trunk of his car.  Hey, if a big guy like that can dislocate his shoulder that easy, what does that mean for me.  Not much.

Here is a video that demonstrates just how easy it is to dislocate your shoulder

Please don’t try this at home.  I can assure you that it is painful and it takes time to heal – with or without surgery!  And you may be more susceptible to future dislocations as well.

According to Wikipedia – “The shoulder joint is the most frequently dislocated major joint of the body. In a typical case of a dislocated shoulder, a strong force that pulls the shoulder outward (abduction) or extreme rotation of the joint pops the ball of the humerus out of the shoulder socket. Dislocation commonly occurs when there is a backward pull on the arm that either catches the muscles unprepared to resist or overwhelms the muscles.”

Small group of muscles hold your most versatile joint together

It doesn’t matter how big you are, the same small muscle group holds the ball of your humerus and glenoid (socket) together.  They are the group of small muscles that form the rotator cuff. Here are some excellent images.

Exercises that you can do to strengthen the rotator cuff complex

What did surprise me was that this man claimed to have developed a shoulder impingement due to his extensive use of a mouse while working at his computer. I had never heard of such a thing, but after a little research, I am convinced that this is a condition can affect anyone who spends a considerable amount of time using their computer.

Here are some resources that will help you if you use the computer extensively:

1. Injury Prevention

Lauren, a personal trainer has written a broad article entitled �Injury Prevention: The Ultimate Checklist� that is a common-sense approach to avoiding injuries. But her post �Pain at the Desk? Ditch the Bench� explains what your body goes through everyday as you sit at your desk. I�m feeling that rounded-shoulder, stressed-out feeling right now.

2. Listen to the ergonomic experts

They are experts for a reason � they study repetitive motion and the resulting injuries. Cornell University has released an article cataloging ways for you to avoid mouse related injuries � �10 tips for Mouse Use�.

3. Tools to help

Check out the Mouse Arm, a device that you can attach to your office chair to put yourself in a more ergonomically-correct position.

4. Are you at risk?

Ergocise.com says:

��People who practice poor posture at the computer (sitting with rounded shoulders pinches the tendons that run through the shoulder region), swimmers, window washers, waiters, painters or anyone else who performs activities involving reaching over the head are also susceptible to Shoulder Impingement Syndrome.�

Ergocise.com is a free program that you can access via the internet and designed especially for computer users. Take a look at their program. What do you have to lose except a little pain in the neck..and back� and shoulder. You get the point.

(photo used courtesy of David Niblack)

Scott: (Scott Kay, inventor of the Rotater)

I’ve been using the Rotater every second day and use it while warming up before a round.

I’ve been in AZ for the past month and had an interesting experience. It was a long par 4, 485 yds. I hit driver - lob wedge. Usually I would have driver - 5 or 6 iron.

So the Range of motion increase and the flexibility was noticeable to me. I’ve also had less soreness in the shoulder where my old football shoulder separation was.

It seems that the Rotater is helping breakdown the scar tissue that gave the shoulder some of its stiffness and pain.

Bob Orr, Long Drive Consultant

How can the Rotater help you?

The Rotater can:

• increase your shoulder flexibility
• provide you with greater range of motion � which results in a greater turn
• give you the ability to self-stretch
• put you in control of the degree and intensity of the stretch
• go anywhere, it is portable � many golfers leave it in the trunk of their car and use it just prior to entering the clubhouse

485 yards with a driver and a lob wedge!

Now that�s a long way to hit the golf ball. But he is a big guy, a long drive consultant�and he uses the Rotater!

Do you strike the ball with power and authority? Give the Rotater a try - feel the difference. Develop a smooth fluid turn and get rid of the short, choppy swing that’s limiting your potential.

• add it to your web site or blog
• add it to your favorites
• refer others to the Rotater video

We are in the process of producing several additional videos that go into more detail and will address inquiries about:

• internal rotation
• external rotation
• range of motion
• benefits of the Rotater
• comparisons of the Rotater with other shoulder therapy devices
• strengthening exercises with the “Strong Arm” attachment

If you have questions or comments:

• please leave your thoughts in the form of a comment by clicking on the �comments� link at the end of this article if you want them to be made public
• if you do not want your questions and comments published, then please click the �CONTACT� page at the top of this page and you will be referred to a submission form that we will receive via our email.

Your comments, suggestions and questions are very important to us and we take them seriously. We are very diligent in responding to every email that we get, so keep ‘em coming.

Tags: The+Rotater, shoulder, shoulder+device, shoulder+rehab, shoulder+therapy

We met Jane in Daytona at the Florida Physical Therapy Association�s annual conference and were immediately uplifted by her enthusiasm for helping her patients and her joy of telling the world about her extremely user-friendly program.

The concept of using a heavy-duty balloon for resistive exercise actually was born in the late 1990s while my staff and I were goofing around with birthday balloons � we batted them around and did the �funky chicken dance� with them � then it hit me! Compressing the balloon between the rib cage and humerus would be an excellent �closed chain� exercise to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. At that time, we had numerous referrals from several orthopedists who performed rotator cuff repairs, impingement relief surgeries and total shoulder joint replacements. What began as a game developed into a safe, EFFECTIVE series of exercises not only for the shoulder, but also for virtually every muscle group in the body.

For now, let�s concentrate on the shoulder techniques: resisted flexion, extension, abduction, adduction and external and internal rotation are performed by compressing the balloon with the upper arm (humerus) or forearm as needed to activate the appropriate muscle groups. This resistance is SAFE because the infinitely compressible balloon (no �dead end feel�) provides as much resistance as the patient can exert, yet not one millimeter more.

The exercises are FUN (assuring compliance) because most everyone has a positive emotional memory associated with balloons. One wants to pick the balloon up and manipulate it � this can be done whether the individual is confined to bed, is sitting or standing. Two or more children or adults at all skill levels can work (play!) with the balloon.

�The Accordion, The Funky Chicken, Kneading Bread, I�ve Been Working on the Railroad, The Crosscut Saw� are some of the pet names that people use to identify their favorite activities with the balloon.

The Fitness Balloon � A Manual for Exercise is filled with step-by-step instructions for the exercises, photographs, helpful hints for therapists and for the layman. Each manual comes with two (2) heavy-duty balloons with directions for inflation and maintenance. Check out the web site and blog linked here for further information on this NEW, FUN, SAFE and EFFECTIVE way to rehabilitate the shoulder muscles.

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• Internal and external rotation made easier with the Rotater
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