The four small muscles that compose the rotator cuff have to be regularly strengthened so that the ball-and-socket joint can be kept intact. Without proper exercise, factors such as sudden impact and overuse may cause injury or damage to the shoulder joint and muscles.

Rotator Cuff Exercise – External Rotator Shoulder Workout

One effective rotator cuff exercise is the external knee rotator, which can be performed by sitting on a chair with the foot propped onto the seat in order to keep one’s upper-arm parallel onto the ground when the elbow is rested on the knee. This is followed by placing the hand up in the air perpendicularly to the ground and then rotating the upper arm slowly to the body’s midline until the forearm is placed above and parallel into the floor. The person then exhales, arcs his or her arm again to the vertical, make 12 or 15 repetitions, and finally execute the same exercise on the other arm. A series of one to three sets of the rotator cuff exercise is then carried out for each arm.

Rotator Cuff Strengthening – Most Common Exercises

Some of the widely held rotator cuff strengthening exercise are the static rotator cuff push out and push in. The static rotator cuff push out begins by standing with the back and neck straightened out and the shoulders back slightly upright. While the elbows are kept at the sides and bent about 90 degrees, one hand is then pushed out against the other keeping the resistance hard but pain-free. The static push in, on the other hand, is a rotator cuff strengthening exercise can be accomplished by standing with the back and neck erect and the shoulders back slightly straightened. As the elbows are kept at the sides bending for approximately 90 degrees, a hand is then pushed in against the other creating hard yet pain-free resistance. Both exercises are then held for five seconds and repeated for upto ten times.

Rotator Cuff Stretches – Hug-a-tree Stretch Training

To make the shoulder routine balanced, rotator cuff stretches have to be regularly carried out after every after strength and rehabilitative workout. Several stretch drills can be added in the routine in order to release the tension that’s present in the worked muscles. One of these widely held rotator cuff stretches is the hug-a-tree exercise, which can be readily performed by grasping both hands around a sturdy vertical surface with the feet approximately 12 inches away, followed by bending the hips as well as the butt back until the arms are straightened, and then letting the head relax in between the elbows. If the position is made tight in the hamstrings, a good stretch can also be felt at the back portion of the legs.