Hey everybody it's Doctor Jo and Kail, and today we're going to show you the top
ten exercises for the rotator cuff. so let's get started.
So these top ten exercises are my favorite top ten. it's not any kind of
research base, it's just the ones that I found work best for me and my patients.
so the rotator cuff is those four main muscles. SITS. so it's supraspinatus,
infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. however there's a whole
bunch of muscles that attach to the scapula and it's like 20-ish muscles, so
it's a lot. so when you think of strengthening the rotator cuff in
general, you really are going to be strengthening all those muscles because
you want that shoulder blade, that scapula, to be working correctly and that
helps if you have an injury it helps fix all those imbalances. so if there's one
muscle that's messing it up it can affect that whole shoulder blade, so some
of these strengthening exercises might not be specifically for the rotator cuff,
but it's really for those muscles that are all around it which really affect it.
so we're gonna start off with a pendulum exercise. this can sometimes be a stretch
or an exercise. I like to add in holding on to a weight which does make it an
exercise so it's really good to start off with the pendulums. it opens up that
shoulder joint and it really just starts getting those muscles loosened up and
relaxed and warmed up for the other exercises. so let's check that out.
for pendulum circles with a weight, lean over on something sturdy like a chair,
counter top, put the weight in the hand that you want to exercise and just let
it relax. move your whole body in a circular motion.
for pendulums front to back with a weight, lean over on something sturdy
like a chair, counter top ,put the opposite leg forward and the closest one
back. put the weight in the hand you want to exercise and just let it relax and
then shift front to back.
for pendulum side-to-side with a weight, lean over on something sturdy like a
chair or countertop. put the weight in the hand that you want to exercise and
just let it relax. move your body side to side.
so exercise number two is going to be an isometric internal rotation of the
shoulder. so this starts getting that rotator cuff. these isometric exercises
are when you're activating the muscle, but you're not actually moving the
muscle, and this is important because especially if you've had a surgery or a
specific injury where you may be not supposed to be doing the whole movement,
then this is a way to start strengthening the muscle without
breaking the precautions. or maybe you're allowed to do the movement but it's just
too painful right now. so the isometrics is a great way to
start off doing that. so let's see it for internal rotation. for shoulder internal
rotation isometrics, put your elbow by your side and about a 90 degree angle.
the motion you're going to be doing is this motion, but you're going to take
your other hand and push into the hand.
number three. so now it's going to be an isometric external rotation. so same kind
of concept with that isometric where you're activating the muscle, but you're
not really moving it. so if you have those precautions or if you have a lot
of pain with the movement, this is going to start help strengthening those
muscles without really irritating them more. so let's take a look at that. for
shoulder external rotation isometrics, put your elbow by your side with your
arm bent to about 90 degrees. the motion you're going to be doing is going out
this way, but you're going to take your other hand
to block it. so you're pushing into your hand and then relaxing.
number four. now we're going to move into shoulder internal rotation with a weight.
so now you're going to start that movement now you're going to have the
weight to get those muscles really strengthening throughout the movement
versus that isometric where you were just doing it to activate the muscles. so
we're gonna do this one kind of lying on our side. so let's check it out. for
shoulder internal rotation and side lying with a weight, you can use a soup or
vegetable can. the arm you're going to be moving is actually on the ground. put
your elbow close to your side and have your elbow at a ninety degree angle and
then just bring it up and back down.
number five. so now you're going to do the shoulder external rotation with a
weight. so same kind of concept as an internal rotation. you're going to be on
your side. you're going to use a weight it can just be a soup can or vegetable
can, it doesn't actually have to be a weight. so let's check that one out. for
shoulder external rotation in sideline with a weight, you can use a soup or
vegetable can. the arm you're going to be working is on top. put your elbow right
next to your side with your elbow bent at 90 degrees. then with your arm
parallel to the ground bring it in to your side and come back up.
number six. so this one's going to be a little bit of a series. it's a couple
exercises in a row but I like to just count them as one because it's working
kind of the same area which is that upper thoracic back area which again has
a lot to do with all those muscles attached to the shoulder blade or that
scapula. so these are going to be Is, Ts, Ys, and Ws. so let's check those
out. here your Is, Ts, Ws, and Ys. for Is you're gonna lie on your
stomach put your arms straight out in front of you with your thumbs up, and
then just lift your arms a little bit off the ground.
For Ys, you're going to lie on your stomach put your arms straight out to
the side with your thumbs up, and then just lift them a little bit off the
ground.
for Ws, lie on your stomach. bend your elbows into a W position with your palms
facing down and then lift your arms up.
for Ys, you're going to lie on your stomach put your arms out at an angle in
a Y position with your thumbs up, and then lift them up just little off the
ground.
number seven. one of my favorites is the row. so when you do the rowing, you can use
a resistive band and this really helps not only open up the chest in the front
but strengthen those muscles in the back and it helps get the rotator cuff area. It
helps get all those muscles around that scapula. so let's check it out.
four seated rows with a resistive band, take the band bending your knees up just
a little bit. wrap it around your feet for an anchor. with your thumbs up and
your elbows by your side, pull back and squeeze your shoulder blades.
number eight, bear hugs. yes it's exactly how it sounds. you're like going in to
give somebody a bear hug. using a resistive band for this is really great
as well it's kind of the opposite movement of the rows. so now you're
strengthening those front muscles while you're stretching out the back muscles.
so let's check that out. for bear hugs with a resistive band, take the band and
wrap it around behind you. keep your thumbs upwords, and then come out and
around just like you're giving someone a bear hug.
number nine, serratus punches. so the serratus anterior muscle is the one that
helps keep that shoulder blade close to the ribcage and the spine in the back. so
when it's not working properly that shoulder blade comes out into a winging,
we call it a winged scapula, and that's really bad because that can cause a lot
of dysfunction and that can cause a lot of pain in the rotator cuff area up in
the shoulder. so let's check that one out. for serratus punches with the resistive
band, take the band and wrap it around behind you. hold the band up on top with
your thumbs up, and then straighten out your arms. keep your elbows locked out
and punch forward. so not bending those elbows but bringing your shoulders
forward.
number ten, bicep curls. bicep curls? well yes of course. again the bicep muscles
aren't a part of the rotator cuff, but that long head of the bicep muscle the
bicep tendon comes up in underneath that supraspinatus muscles. so it's really
important to make sure you strengthen this as well because they sit so close
together. if one's irritated, the other one might get irritated as well. so let's
check that out. for standing bicep curls with a weight, keep your elbow by your
side. turn your palm up. bring it up and then slowly come back down.
so there you have it. those were your top ten rotator cuff exercises. do you like
those? yeah. remember those were my favorite not necessarily any kind of
scientific research to it. if you'd like to help support my channel, make sure and
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clicking down here. and remember be safe, have fun, and I hope you feel better soon.