{"id":4101,"date":"2025-01-12T02:41:32","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T02:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/5-exercises-to-strengthen-and-enhance-rotator-cuff-mobility.html"},"modified":"2025-01-12T02:41:32","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T02:41:32","slug":"5-exercises-to-strengthen-and-enhance-rotator-cuff-mobility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/5-exercises-to-strengthen-and-enhance-rotator-cuff-mobility.html","title":{"rendered":"5 Exercises to Strengthen and Enhance Rotator Cuff Mobility"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When shoulder pain and injury in sports and everyday life is discussed, you often hear the term \u201crotator cuff.\u201d This group of muscles and connective tissues is a common source of shoulder trouble for athletes and weekend warriors alike.<\/p>\n<p>Most common in sports and jobs that require repetitive arm motion (e.g., baseball, tennis, carpentry) as well as with\u00a0people\u00a0over 40, rotator cuff pain can make exercise and daily activity \u2014 even sleeping \u2014 uncomfortable, if not impossible. Associated discomfort in the shoulder most often takes the form of a dull ache.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re experiencing shoulder pain, your best course of action is to seek help from a health care professional. But for those looking to increase strength and mobility, rotator cuff exercises can help alleviate or prevent some symptoms.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is the Rotator Cuff?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>The rotator cuff is a group of\u00a0muscles\u00a0and\u00a0tendons\u00a0that helps secure the\u00a0shoulder joint, says Erika Mundinger, D.P.T., a physical therapist in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Those muscles include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Supraspinatus<\/li>\n<li>Infraspinatus<\/li>\n<li>Teres minor<\/li>\n<li>Subscapularis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Located on the shoulder blade, their wide, flat tendons wrap around the ball of your shoulder\u2019s glenohumeral joint, the ball-and-socket joint that\u2019s among the most mobile in your body. That joint is part of a larger group of four joints often referred to as the \u201cshoulder complex\u201d:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sternoclavicular joint:<\/strong>\u00a0Also known as the \u201cSC,\u201d it\u2019s located between the sternum and the clavicle.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Acromioclavicular joint:<\/strong>\u00a0The \u201cAC\u201d is the bony joint on the top of the shoulder.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Glenohumeral joint:<\/strong>\u00a0The ball-and-socket joint most commonly associated with the shoulder.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scapulothoracic joint:<\/strong>\u00a0This is where the shoulder blade sits on the back of the ribcage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Rotator Cuff Injury Causes<\/h2>\n<p>All four shoulder joints move together \u2014 you can\u2019t affect one without affecting the others. If you injure one joint, or the shoulder muscles\u00a0surrounding it are weak, that will change how you use the other three joints. This can lead to poor movement patterns,\u00a0muscle imbalances, and \u2014 ultimately \u2014 pain and possible injury.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMuscle imbalances are what we refer to when we talk about overuse injuries, like tendinitis,\u201d Mundinger says. And the muscles most commonly affected by overuse injuries in the shoulder are \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 the rotator cuff muscles.<\/p>\n<p>When shoulder mechanics change \u2014 whether by muscle weakness, injury, poor posture, or unnatural movement patterns \u2014 rotator cuff muscles can suffer overuse, resulting in irritation and inflammation (aka tendinitis or\u00a0shoulder impingement). In this state, joint positioning can be altered and tendons can get compressed between the ball and shoulder blade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe more this happens, the more angry and painful they become, and the weaker they get as a result,\u201d Mundinger says. From there, weak rotator cuff muscles can then compromise stability of the glenohumeral joint.<\/p>\n<h2>Rotator Cuff Strengthening Exercises<\/h2>\n<p>You can keep your shoulders healthy and pain resistant by performing regular exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff.<\/p>\n<p>Rotator cuff exercises can also improve posture and stability, but \u201ckeep in mind that strengthening the rotator cuff is [only] one part of the movement equation,\u201d says Cody Braun, C.S.C.S. As he notes, you must also increase shoulder mobility\u00a0so your joints can move through their full range of motion.<\/p>\n<p>To build much-needed strength and mobility in and around the shoulder joint, Mundinger recommends performing the following five moves. Once a day, if possible.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Snow angels on foam roller<\/h3>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-168372\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/15092703\/rotator-cuff-exercises-600-snow-angels.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman Does Snow Angels on Foam Roller | Rotator Cuff Exercises\" width=\"600\" height=\"480\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lie on the floor with a\u00a0foam roller\u00a0positioned lengthwise under your spine. Your knees should be bent, your feet flat on the floor, and your arms resting on the floor beside you, palms facing up.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping the backs of your hands on the floor, extend both arms out to the sides and bring them as far overhead as you can without arching your back or shrugging your shoulders. Then, sweep both arms out to the side and down toward your hips.<\/li>\n<li>Continue sweeping your arms as if making a snow angel for a total of 10 reps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Prone scapular retraction<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-168370\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/15092652\/rotator-cuff-exercises-600-prone-scapular-retraction.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman Does Prone Scapular Retractions | Rotator Cuff Exercises\" width=\"600\" height=\"480\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lie face-down on the floor with your arms at your sides, palms facing up. You may want to support your forehead on a folded towel.<\/li>\n<li>Gently bring your shoulder blades straight back and squeeze them together. Hold for two to three seconds and slowly release your shoulder blades to return to the starting position.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat for three sets of 10 reps, making sure not to shrug your shoulders at any point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Wall angels<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-168373\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/15092708\/rotator-cuff-exercises-600-wall-angels.jpeg\" alt=\"Man Does Example of Wall Angels | Rotator Cuff Exercises\" width=\"600\" height=\"360\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stand tall with your back against a wall, and gently press your lower back into the wall to neutralize your spine.<\/li>\n<li>Raise both arms out to your sides, and bend your elbows 90 degrees, keeping your back, elbows, and the backs of your hands in contact with the wall<\/li>\n<li>Without shrugging your shoulders or arching your lower back, slowly slide your arms upward. Don\u2019t worry if you can\u2019t move them very far at first.<\/li>\n<li>Once you\u2019ve raised your arms as far as you can without causing pain, lower them back to the starting position.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat for a total of 10 reps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Shoulder external rotation in 45-degree abduction<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-168371\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/15092657\/rotator-cuff-exercises-600-shoulder-external-rotation-45.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman Shows Example of Shoulder Extension Rotation | Rotator Cuff Exercises\" width=\"600\" height=\"540\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stand tall and raise your arms out to the sides 45 degrees from your body. Bend your elbows 90 degrees.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping your core engaged and your elbows locked in place, externally rotate your arms, bringing your forearms back as if you\u2019re trying to touch them to a wall behind you. Then, rotate your arms inward.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat for three sets of 10 reps, rotating your forearms only as far as is comfortable and avoiding shrugging your shoulders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. Plank with scapular protraction\/retraction<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-170383\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/02120822\/scap-push-up.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Assume a\u00a0standard push-up position, with your feet together, your body straight from head to heels, your arms straight, and your hands under your shoulders.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping your back flat, your head neutral, and your core engaged, protract your shoulders, pushing through your hands to spread your shoulder blades apart.<\/li>\n<li>Slowly return to the starting position. Then, retract your shoulders, letting your chest dip to bring your shoulder blades together. That\u2019s one rep.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat for three sets of 10 reps without shrugging your shoulders during the exercise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When shoulder pain and injury in sports and everyday life is discussed, you often hear the term \u201crotator cuff.\u201d This group of muscles and connective tissues is a common source of shoulder trouble for athletes and weekend warriors alike. Most common in sports and jobs that require repetitive arm motion (e.g., baseball, tennis, carpentry) as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4102,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[91],"class_list":["post-4101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4101\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}