Exercises for rotator cuff impingement syndrome would be the primary way to combat pain and loss of range of motion.

We have to define what type of exercises are appropriate.

In practice we combine stretching as well as strengthening exercises.

Before you start exercising though it is very important to determine why your impingement occurred.

A full body assessment would be completed and muscle imbalances and postural alignment will be addressed.

If you have a rounded shoulder and you are one arm is more in front of your body compared to the other side it could indicate some rotation in your spine, pelvis or even tightness in your hip.

These type of muscle imbalances have a chain reaction and can lead to compression in the shoulder joint which ultimately leads to impingement and inflammation of the rotator cuff tendon.

So to determine why you have impingement pain is primary after that prescribing the proper exercise sequence would be secondary.

Let’s look at strengthening exercises first.

Strength exercises such as rowing and horizontal abduction with an elastic band is a great way to build up your rhomboid muscles and shoulder retractors. What these exercises do is that they free up the joint space in your glenohumeral joint and allow more freedom of movement when you flex and abduct your arm.

Strengthening the rotator cuff muscle group is also very important. Since your rotator cuff muscles stabilize your humeral head when you flex and abduct your arm it avoids compression of the rotator cuff tendon between the acromion and humeral head.

I like to use elastic band or resistance tubing to work the rotator cuff muscle groups in different angles.Typically we are much more weaker in your back muscles compared to the muscles in the front of our shoulders so an appropriate exercise ratio would be to perform strengthening exercises twice as much for the back muscles compared to the chest and front shoulder muscles.

Stretching exercises for rotator cuff impingement syndrome is just as important as the strengthening exercises.

Performing a door stretch in multi-angle positions is a great way to reduce the corral us major tightness and improve the shoulder balance to allow less protraction and internal rotation of your shoulder joint.

When performing these exercises it is very key that you avoid pain.

Since the shoulder is already in and implemented state you could very well flare up the condition and cause more pain and restriction.

These exercises should always be conducted under the supervision of a professional and should be performed slow and controlled. If you do not have a significant rotator cuff tear, exercises such as these are important and will improve the health of the shoulder.

If you would like more information on the exact methods and steps to regain a pain-free shoulder with normal range of motion and then check out our course.

Feel free to contact me with any questions…