Tag Archives: physical therapy

Physical Therapy Exercises For Rotator Cuff

Effective Physical Therapy Exercises For Rotator Cuff

Whether or not you have had an injury in your shoulders, particularly your rotator cuff, you can definitely find physical therapy exercises for rotator cuff useful. After all, physical therapy is considered as a branch in health care that deals with helping people regain or enhance their specific physical capabilities through exercises and equipment, and this Read more…

Rotator Cuff Stretches

If you have a problem with your rotator cuff, either soreness or inflammation, your doctor may prescribe some basic physical therapy for your shoulder, including some rotator cuff stretches. These rotator cuff stretches strengthen your shoulder and prevent impingement and further rotator cuff injury. Performing strengthening exercises for the shoulder Read more…

Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy

After a rotator cuff surgery has taken place, the shoulder joint needs to be exercised in order to get the four rotator cuff muscles moving in coordination again. A certain amount of stiffness and pain results based on the seriousness of the injury and the kind of surgery that took place.

Rotator cuff physical therapy begins only after the surgery has healed completely. In the case of a diabetic patient, Read more…

Partial Rotator Cuff Tear

Several shoulder issues are caused by injuries to the rotator cuff, which are the tendons that attach the shoulder muscles to the arm.

The rotator cuff is formed of four tendons that collectively form the rotator cuff. If the rotator cuff becomes inflamed o tears partially, it can cause pain and limit the movement of the shoulder. With a partial rotator cuff tear, the patient will still have limited use of the arm. However, with a full tear, severe limitations are caused to shoulder movement, along with pain and weakness.

A partial rotator cuff tear does not go all the way through the tendons. Almost all partial rotator cuff tears can be treated without surgery, at least in the initial stages. Other treatments are tried, including physical therapy, to allow the tendon to heal itself. If the healing does not happen over time and if the tear enlarges and goes through the tendons, surgery can considered for a partial thickness rotator cuff tear.

A surgeon determines when surgery becomes necessary for a partial rotator cuff tear. If less than 50% of the tendon is torn, surgeons opine that surgery can be avoided. An arthroscopic view of the injured tendon is taken and a decision is taken whether or not to operate on the rotator cuff.

If the tendon is less than 50% torn, removing the damaged and frayed tendon might resolve the issue. If more than 50% of the tendon is torn, a rotator cuff repair surgery will have to be performed.

When a partially torn rotator cuff is repaired, the resulting tendon is usually quite strong. There is less stress on the repaired tendon as well, when compared to the repair of full rotator cuff tears. This is good as it helps in quick healing.

Available Treatment for Torn Rotator Cuff Injuries

There are different types of treatments for torn rotator cuff injuries. Depending on how you received the injury may give you an indication of the treatment you should expect. If you require treatment for torn rotator cuff from an accident or strain, you will likely have to undergo several types of therapies that can include some of the following.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is often a requirement for the treatment for torn rotator cuff injury. Because the nature of this type of injury causes unusual weakness in muscle groups in the shoulder it is imperative to rebuild that muscle again during the treatment for torn rotator cuff injury.

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is also a popular treatment for torn rotator cuff injuries. This form of therapy isn’t always as enjoyable as it may sound. Often the deep tissue massage this type of injury can require can leave the arm feeling a bit pained and weak but is in fact tuned perfectly to instigating the muscle to rebuild itself healthily.

Water Therapy

Many in the therapeutic industries have found that water therapy as a treatment for torn rotator cuff injuries to be very effective. Because of the buoyancy of water the strain on muscles exercised is less when in water. However, this can also be a double edged sword in the fact that this kind of treatment for rotator cuff injury is very easy to overdo.
It is best to have a trained medical professional to advise you on any type of treatment for rotator cuff injuries that are personalized to yours in particular.