Rotator Cuff Problems

You know that you are having this problem when:

You can’t lift your hand and arm out to the side and above your head.
It hurts when you lie on your shoulder in bed.
You get pain and restriction reaching behind you trying to get something on the back seat of the car.
It hurts when you try to comb your hair or to do up your bra.

I start by determining which muscles are involved, how long you have had it and whether it is inflamed.
Once we reduce the inflammation, I can proceed to work on the tightened muscles.
The rotator cuff is a set of muscles starting from your shoulder blade and attaching at various sites around the top of the arm bone. They form a sort of cup around the ball of the arm bone. They sit at the top bottom front back and sides of the arm bone.
I look at how you are moving your shoulder and this informs me as to which muscles are affected.
In addition to the rotator cuff muscles there are larger muscles that may be affected, especially if you’ve had the injury for a while. They can hold your shoulder in a protective posture. They may also need remedial work. So as to bring them back to their normal tension and position.
Usually with rotator cuff problems, there is micro damage to some of the muscles and /or their tendons. My treatment involves very gentle pressure to release tension in the muscles. This encourages blood flow into the area of damage. As a result the hardened trigger points (tender or non-tender spots) within the muscle are softened. I can then stretch the muscle and the normal movement is possible again.
I aim to work very subtly so that you don’t feel overwhelmed with pain the following day. This means you can continue to move which facilitates your recovery.