How to Prevent Rotator Cuff Tears

Rotator cuff muscles stabilize shoulder joints. They are a network of muscles and tendons that cover the top of the upper arm bone (humerous). Tears usually happen on the rotator cuff muscles. Aside from being extremely painful, cuff tears typically entail surgery and intensive physical therapy. Rotator cuff tears, however, are avoidable.

Instructions

• 1

  Practice gentle stretching daily. Good posture increases the blood supply and relieves the strain on the rotator cuff muscles and tendons. Start by rotating both arms in a circular motion for 10 reps, and change direction for 10 more. Then place right arm across your body and bring the left arm up into a figure-4 position and hook it just above the elbow of the right arm. Pull back with the left arm so you feel the slight stretch in the shoulder. Switch arms.

• 2

  Aging and repetitive motion cause rotator cuff muscle to degenerate and increase the risk of tear. Prevent this with regular conditioning prior to stressing the muscles with various activities. Do lower resistance weight training, but at higher repetitions. Low-resistance exercises gradually strengthen these small muscles with minimal risk of injury. The amount of weight will depend on your level of comfort. Start out doing 10 to 12 reps with 2 or 5 lbs hand weights. Gradually add more reps. Follow this routine three times a week.

• 3

  Always warm up shoulder and arm muscles before you start working out on a weight circuit at the gym. Ask a trainer to spot you to make sure you're following good form and doing lat pull downs and military presses correctly. When you work out with dumbbells, do not lower the bar below or parallel to the incline.

• 4

  Regular massages can improve or increase blood circulation, effectively strengthening the muscles. This in turn supports quick and healthy cell regeneration, which minimizes the risks of tears.

• 5

  Rest is also important. Schedule recovery time to rest muscles and re-establish normal blood circulation through the rotator cuff area.